The diocese of Camden, New Jersey, said Tuesday it had agreed to pay $ 87.5 million to settle lawsuits filed by hundreds of people accusing clergy of sexually abusing them, one of the largest such deals. involving the Catholic Church in the United States.
In what may be the first for such a lawsuit, the final pay of the plaintiffs could be significantly higher, said the lawyers who represent them, as the agreement allows for further lawsuits against insurance companies for the diocese and related parties such as parishes and schools.
“It’s a triumph of courage, with all the credit for survivors being united and strong,” said Jeff Anderson, a lawyer for about a quarter of the approximately 300 plaintiffs.
In a statement announcing the agreement, Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan, the diocesan leader, said: “I would like to express my sincere apologies to all those who have been affected by sexual violence in our diocese.”
“Prayer prayers are addressed to all survivors of violence,” Bishop Sullivan added, “and I promise my continued commitment to ensuring that this terrible chapter in the history of the Camden Diocese of New Jersey is never repeated.”
The agreement comes about three years after New Jersey became one of a number of states that extended its statute of limitations so that people who said they were sexually abused as children could stand trial. New York took a similar step that year.
The agreement was also followed by the filing of bankruptcy in 2020 by the diocese, which has 62 parishes and serves about 500,000 Catholics in six southern counties in New Jersey. This filing came amid a growing number of abuse claims.
By then, Bishop Sullivan had identified 56 priests and deacons associated with the Camden diocese who were credibly accused of sexually abusing children. The revelation was part of a broader revelation by Catholic bishops in New Jersey that nearly 200 priests have been accused of committing similar abuses in the state.
Under the terms of the agreement, $ 87.5 million will go to a trust and be paid in four years, according to the diocese. Individual payments will vary, the plaintiffs’ lawyers said, but the average cost per person will be about $ 300,000.
The agreement also calls for maintaining or improving the protection of children, according to the parties. As the agreement is shrouded in insolvency of the diocese, it requires the approval of a judge.
Mr Anderson said the diocese, its parishes and affiliates and the insurance companies representing them had tried to impose an unsatisfactory agreement by obtaining the judge’s approval without securing the plaintiffs’ consent.
In the end, he said, the plaintiffs and the diocese reached an agreement that did not include insurance companies. As part of the agreement, the diocese, its parishes and related persons such as schools give the plaintiffs the right to sue the insurers.
This meant that the litigation would continue, with the potential to significantly increase the amount of money the plaintiffs eventually received, said Mr Anderson, a veteran of such cases. He said this aspect of the settlement was the first in his experience.
Camden Diocese is one of about 30 dioceses and Catholic orders in the United States that are filing for bankruptcy, according to BishopAccountability.org, which tracks cases of abuse of the church.
In New York, the dioceses of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Rockville Center on Long Island have also filed for bankruptcy. They all face multiple lawsuits for abuse, as do the other four dioceses in New Jersey.
According to data collected by BishopAccountability.org, Camden’s preliminary agreement is among the top five payments in abuse lawsuits involving the Catholic Church in the United States. It is more than the $ 84 million paid by the Boston diocese in 2003, but below the California and Oregon dispute settlement figures.
Jeffrey D. Prole, a lawyer for the commission representing the plaintiffs in connection with the bankruptcy, said in a statement that his clients were “pleased to have reached a consensual settlement of their disputes with the diocese.”
In a separate interview, Mr Prol said satisfaction was not just about financial compensation.
“Survivors are not about money,” he said. “This is to make sure that their voices are heard and that this never happens again.
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