Syracuse diocese reaches settlement in sex abuse claims: What it means for survivors
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse has reached a bankruptcy settlement agreement with the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors that will mean millions of dollars for victims of sexual abuse within the church.
The diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020 after it was hit with more than 100 lawsuits following passage of New York's Child Victims Act for past sex abuse by priests and clergy members. Seven counties including Broome, Chenango, Cortland and Oneida are included within the diocese.
All survivors of sexual abuse for acts perpetrated by clergy, religious, lay employees and volunteers within the diocese will be paid a combined $100 million under terms of the settlement, which is still subject to a creditor vote and bankruptcy court approval.
The Child Victims Act, which took effect in 2019, lifted the statute of limitations even for allegations that were decades old.
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Beyond the settlement, which was announced Thursday, the diocese and committee also said they continue to discuss details of child protection protocols that will enhance measures already in place to protect young parishioners, students, and other vulnerable individuals. The committee includes people who were themselves victims of abuse within the Diocese of Syracuse.
"I can tell you as shocking as the settlement amount may seem to leaders of our own parishes and other Catholic entities, more appalling and heart-rending to me is the pain and mistreatment experienced by the survivors of child and adult sexual abuse at the hands of those they thought they could trust," Bishop Douglas J. Lucia, of the Diocese of Syracuse, said in a statement.
Lucia said the final settlement will include commitments to strengthen safe environment protocols "to further ensure the past does not repeat itself."
Kevin Braney, chair of the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, said the settlement is a "significant step forward in the healing process" for more than 400 sex abuse victims.
"I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my fellow survivors and their families, for their endurance as they have patiently awaited this news," Braney said in a statement.
The Diocese of Syracuse was the third Roman Catholic diocese in New York — following Buffalo and Rochester — to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in response to hundreds of lawsuits filed under the New York Child Victims Act.
Three other New York dioceses, Rockville Center, Albany and Ogdensburg have since filed as well, according to attorneys representing the abuse victims.
The Syracuse Diocese settlement does not include any contributions from any of the diocese insurance carriers, which have "denied, delayed, and ducked their obligations," according to attorney Jeff Anderson, whose law firm is representing several sex abuse victims.
Attorneys will continue to fight to hold insurers accountable, Anderson said, but the settlement guarantees the diocese will take responsibility for years of abuse.
"Survivors are standing up strong and united. It makes the diocese accountable in ways they never have been," he said. "This [is] a story from the transference of trauma to power."
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Diocese of Syracuse to pay $100 million to settle sex abuse claims
