Syracuse Bishop Robert Cunningham, announced Feb. 14, Ash Wednesday, that the diocese has established an Independent Reconciliation Compensation Program for survivors of clergy sexual abuse.
Victims of sexual abuse by clergyman of the Diocese shall have until May 16 to submit claims. According to the Bishop, the compensation funds will be paid for through the Diocese’s general liability insurance program, not donations. Only people who submitted claims to the diocese before Feb. 14 are eligible. Participants will not be required to sign confidentiality agreements, but they must agree not to sue the Diocese or its staff.
Approximately 76 victims from cases dating to 1941 are eligible for compensation for “pain and suffering” at the hands of priests, Cunningham said at a press conference. The diocese has previously settled 20 clergy sex abuse cases. According to public records, at least forty priests in the seven-county diocese have been accused since 1941. Of those, 18 are alive; they are considered credibly accused and have been removed from ministry.
This announcement by the Syracuse Diocese comes on the heels of similar announcements by other Dioceses in the state — New York City, Brooklyn and Rockville Centre — in implementing the Independent Reconciliation Compensation Program. The programs are run by Kenneth Feinberg and Camille Biros, independent arbitrators from Washington, D.C. The pair has mediated compensation programs in cases including survivors of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the BP oil spill and the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Florida.
Sexual abuse attorney Adam Horowitz is experienced in handling claims on behalf of victims of clergy sexual abuse throughout New York. If you or someone you know has been a victim of a sexual abuse by any priest or clergymen affiliated with the Diocese of Syracuse, please e-mail attorney Adam Horowitz at [email protected] or call our law firm at (954) 641-2100 to discuss your claim against the Diocese of Syracuse and learn if you are eligible for monetary compensation. Attorney Adam Horowitz offers confidential, free evaluations of your sexual abuse claim involving priests and clergy of the Diocese of Syracuse.