A US Roman Catholic diocese in Long Island, New York has announced a massive bankruptcy settlement under which it will pay out $323 million to hundreds of survivors of alleged sexual abuse by clergy members.
The Rockville Center reached a preliminary settlement on Thursday with about 600 plaintiffs who claimed they were sexually abused by priests as children, according to a law firm representing the survivors.
The diocese had previously offered the survivors a $200 million settlement, which they reportedly rejected.
“After nearly four years we do have a global resolution,” Corrine Ball told US Bankruptcy Court Judge Martin Glenn in Manhattan. Glenn said the deal represented “enormous progress” and that it had come “within a hair’s breadth” of failure.
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.
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