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Brooklyn Diocese Moves to Negotiate Global Settlement of 1,100 Child Sex-Abuse Claims

Bishop Robert Brennan says payments will come from monetizing diocesan assets rather than parish donations.

Overview

  • The diocese announced talks with survivors' attorneys to resolve meritorious claims through a single process that avoids individual trials.
  • Retired Judge Daniel Buckley and mediator Paul Finn were engaged as neutral facilitators based on their experience with large church abuse settlements.
  • Sullivan & Cromwell, Anderson Kill, and Alvarez & Marsal were retained as outside advisors, and the diocese is conferring with liability insurers.
  • Since 2017, more than 500 survivors have received over $100 million through the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program.
  • A diocesan spokesperson said over 90% of the remaining allegations are more than 35 years old, with most from the 1960s and 1970s, as the Archdiocese of New York pursues a parallel settlement for about 1,300 claims.