June 3, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
106 childhood victims of Catholic Church sexual abuse in the Buffalo, NY area have been paid $17.5 million in compensation. The Buffalo, NY diocese has offered a total of 127 settlements with an average award of $158,622 to the sexual abuse victims. The largest settlement offer is $650,000 and due to increasing offers, the diocese’s total cost could end up north of $18 million. The trend is up. In January 2019, Buffalo News reported that the diocese had offered more than $8 million to nearly four dozen people, according to victims and lawyers. That total settlement amount has more than doubled in less than six months.
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Catholic Church in N.H. Publishes Names of Priests Accused of Sex Abuse of Minors
August 22, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
The Catholic Diocese of Manchester, NH has created a website that shows a comprehensive list of priests that have been accused of Catholic Church sexual abuse. The website includes the names of priests both living and deceased dating back to incidents that occurred in the 1950s. As of August 2019, the Catholic Diocese of Manchester, NH has paid nearly $30 million to compensate victims who filed Catholic Church lawsuits.
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Providence Diocese Lists Priests Accused of Sexually Abusing Children
July 15, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, RI has recently released the names of 50 priests and deacons who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing children dating back to 1950. In the posting on their website, the diocese indicates that 19 of the 50 names are priests and deacons that are still alive, but nearly all of the accused have been removed from ministry.
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Woman can sue Catholic Church in Pa. over alleged priest abuse 40 years ago, court says
June 17, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
With an important victory for sexual abuse victims, a Pennsylvania court has recently ruled that a woman can pursue her lawsuit claiming clergy in the Altoona-Johnstown, PA Roman Catholic Diocese covered up her alleged molestation by a priest. The lawsuit was initially dismissed by a county judge in 2017 because the statute of limitations had expired. However, a three-judge Superior Court panel reinstated the woman’s lawsuit which claims that two bishops illegally tried to cover up her sexual abuse by a priest to protect their reputations. The ruling may allow more sexual abuse victims whose abuse occurred long ago, to file claims.
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Police seized 57 items from Saginaw Diocese during raid, including ‘victim list’
June 11, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
Police in Saginaw, MI recently executed search warrants on three Catholic Diocese properties while investigating claims of sexual abuse done to minors by clergy. Public documents show that police seized nearly 60 items of evidence including what was found in the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet at the diocese headquarters, a file titled “victim list”. Additional items from seize included: computers, flash drives, expense accounts, internal memos, and the personal files of convicted sexual-abuser Rev. Robert J. DeLand Jr., three other priests, and one deacon.
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Buffalo Diocese pays $17.5M to 106 clergy sex abuse victims
June 3, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
106 childhood victims of Catholic Church sexual abuse in the Buffalo, NY area have been paid $17.5 million in compensation. The Buffalo, NY diocese has offered a total of 127 settlements with an average award of $158,622 to the sexual abuse victims. The largest settlement offer is $650,000 and due to increasing offers, the diocese’s total cost could end up north of $18 million. The trend is up. In January 2019, Buffalo News reported that the diocese had offered more than $8 million to nearly four dozen people, according to victims and lawyers. That total settlement amount has more than doubled in less than six months.
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More Than 80 Clergy Members Named in Sexual Abuse Report
May 28, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
Three sexual abuse survivors from the Albany, NY area testified in court recently that they were abused by more than 80 clergy members from the Albany Diocese. One woman testified that she was raped and exploited by a man who was a teacher and counselor at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons High School in Schenectady, NY. Mark Lyman, another sexual abuse survivor that testified, said “Many of us were told when we were being abused that we were the only one. My reason for being here is to protect children and to make sure that what happened to me as a child doesn’t happen to another child here in New York State.” Mr. Lyman has spoken out more than once about the abuse he suffered as a child growing up at his church in Troy, NY.
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