NEW YORK
Yahoo! News
By Daniel Trotta
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Roman Catholic Church in New York has created an arbitration system for child victims of sexually abusive priests, providing an opportunity for compensation to accusers who are shut out from filing civil lawsuits by statutes of limitations.
The Archdiocese of New York said on Thursday the program would be administered by Kenneth Feinberg, the influential Washington lawyer who has directed funds for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and several mass shootings.
Feinberg and Camille Biros, a longtime associate who has worked with Feinberg on other compensation funds, will have “complete autonomy,” the church said.
The archdiocese has agreed to abide by their decisions, no matter how much money Feinberg and Biros might award to victims. Former New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska and child psychiatry expert Jeanette Cueva will comprise an oversight committee.
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