The Diocese of Rockville Center has reached an agreement with approximately 600 plaintiffs who alleged abuse by priests during their childhood.
The Diocese of Rockville Center, a Roman Catholic diocese located on Long Island, New York, has announced a substantial bankruptcy settlement. Under the terms of the agreement, the diocese will pay $323 million to hundreds of individuals who claim to have been victims of sexual abuse by clergy members.
A preliminary settlement was reached on Thursday with roughly 600 plaintiffs, according to a law firm representing the survivors.
The diocese had previously offered a $200 million settlement, which the survivors reportedly rejected.
“After nearly four years we do have a global resolution,” Corrine Ball stated before US Bankruptcy Court Judge Martin Glenn in Manhattan. Glenn described the deal as representing “enormous progress” and noted that it came “within a hair’s breadth” of failing.
Rockville Center will contribute $234.8 million to the settlement fund, while four insurers will contribute $85.3 million, a spokesperson for the diocese said.
Adam Slater, an attorney representing approximately 100 survivors, informed News 12 Long Island that this settlement marks the largest diocese settlement in New York state history.
“The diocese’s goal has always been the equitable compensation of survivors of abuse while allowing the church to continue her essential mission,” Diocese spokesperson Eric Fasano told News 12.
Rockville Center, which serves about 1.2 million Catholics in Nassau and Suffolk counties, is the largest Roman Catholic diocese in the country to declare bankruptcy. It filed for insolvency in New York in October 2020, citing the cost of lawsuits filed by victims of child sexual abuse over decades-old crimes. The diocese stated at the time that potential payouts from the New York State Child Victims Act could result in financial ruin.
Over 20 Catholic dioceses have reportedly filed for bankruptcy in recent years, following the enactment of laws in New York and other states temporarily allowing childhood victims of sex abuse to file lawsuits regardless of the time elapsed since the alleged crime occurred.