The Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich has agreed to establish a $31 million fund to compensate victims of sexual assault who have sued the church, the diocese announced on Friday.
The establishment of the fund, which would pay eligible victims an average of $310,000 each, is part of a preliminary agreement filed Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Hartford between the church, its various related entities and a group of sexual abuse survivors, according to a joint statement from the groups involved in the Norwich diocese’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
The Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization was filed Monday following five days of mediation with retired federal Judge Joan N. Feeney and provides a meaningful recovery to survivors of sexual abuse and for the Diocese to emerge from bankruptcy and continue its mission,” according to a joint statement from the diocese and a group representing sexual abuse victims.
The agreement, which still needs to be reviewed by a judge and voted on by the victims, is the result of the diocese filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021 in response to dozens of lawsuits from a group of more than 140 alleged victims.
Continue reading at Yahoo News