Rochester Diocese Abuse Trust Reaches Over $126M

A sexual abuse claim fund created by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester as part of its Chapter 11 plan has reached over $126 million, the diocese recently reported. In a status report filed with a New York bankruptcy court on Friday, July 21, the diocese stated that deals with a pair of its insurers totaling more than $50 million were responsible for the increase. This leaves only one of the diocese’s insurers that hasn’t agreed to pay into the abuse claims trust.

The Rochester diocese filed for bankruptcy in September 2019 after the Child Victims Act exposed it to thousands of sexual abuse claims. In May 2022, a proposed plan for a sexual abuse trust fund was rejected, with abuse claimaints saying the proposed contributions by the diocese’s insurers was insufficent. An agreement was subsequently reached in November of last year, with the diocese and its affiliated organizations committing to contribute $55 million to the trust, which could then pursue claims against non-settling insurers on behalf of abuse claimants.

The unsecured creditors’ committe is represented by Tim Burns and Jesse Bair of Burns Bair LLP, as well as attorneys from Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP. Read the full story at Law360.