ROCHESTER (NY)
Rochester Beacon
Nov. 18, 2019
By Will Astor
A battle is shaping up between insurance companies that could be on the hook for what the Roman Catholic of Diocese of Rochester expects to be tens of millions of dollars in costs to cover a rash of newly filed sexual abuse claims
If one insurance company has its way, what the diocese knew about its priests’ behavior and when it knew it could be key to how claims are covered. The diocese and abuse survivors say paying heed to such considerations could skew the case.
Diocesan officials have previously stated hopes that liability insurance would cover all or a substantial portion of what could be a $100 million payout for a mounting pile of claims filed under New York’s recently passed Child Victims Act.
In a complaint filed Nov. 14 in the Rochester division of the Western District of New York Bankruptcy Court, the diocese targets more than a dozen insurers, alleging that the insurers breached contracts by backing away from CVA abuse claims against the Rochester Catholic diocese.
Many of the insurers it targets “have advanced similar reservations with respect to the availability of coverage,” the diocese notes in the filing. But only one—the Chicago-based Continental Insurance Co.—so far has filed a court brief publicly staking out a position. For starters, the insurer wants to argue key elements of its case in state court.
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