Judge Orders Insurance Company to Reimburse Archdiocese for Sex Abuse Settlements

CONNECTICUT
WNPR

By RAY HARDMAN

Last week, the Hartford Archdiocese won a case against the insurance company who refused to reimburse the Archdiocese for payments made to victims of priest sexual abuse.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton found that the insurance company, Interstate Fire and Casualty, was in breach of it’s contract for refusing to reimburse the Archdiocese for payments it made to four victims of priest sexual abuse dating back to the 1970s and ’80s.

Under the terms of the insurance contract, Interstate agreed to reimburse the Archdiocese “for all sums arising out of any occurrence.”

“Occurence” was defined as an “accident or continued exposure to conditions which unintentionally results in personal injury.”

In federal court in April, Interstate said they nullified the claims based on the “occurence clause” because they believed the Archdiocese was aware that the three priests in this case were predatory priests, and did nothing to keep the four victims out of harm’s way.

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