BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News
January 28, 2019
By Jay Tokasz
The Buffalo Diocese so far has offered more than $8 million to nearly four dozen people sexually abused as children by priests, according to victims and lawyers who represent them.
Diocese officials declined to comment on the number of offers to date that have been made or the overall dollar amount. They also would not say how many claims to the diocese’s Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program have yet to be decided upon or when the program will conclude.
But in interviews with lawyers and victims The News has learned that at least 47 victims have received offers that collectively amount to about $8.1 million. The offers ranged from $10,000 to $650,000.
Some victims already have been paid. Lawyers took a third of the offers for themselves in cases where they were retained. Other accusers are still deciding whether to accept the money and give up their right to sue the diocese, even as the State Legislature prepares to adopt legislation that will clear the way for more civil lawsuits in sexual abuse cases.
The State Assembly and Senate are scheduled to vote Monday on a Child Victims Act that includes a one-year “look-back” provision allowing abuse victims to sue even in cases that go back decades.
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