ALBANY (NY)
WNYT-TV [Albany NY]
October 17, 2025
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany just agreed to pay $8 million to settle one case of sexual abuse committed by one of their former priests.
The lawsuit was scheduled to go to trial on Monday.
The victim said he was just 11 years old when the abuse began. He claims Father Edward Charles Pratt molested him until he was 16 years old.
The victim filed a lawsuit against the diocese back in 2020, shortly after New York State’s Child Victims Act went into effect. That law removed time limitations that prevented old sexual abuse claims from going forward to court.
The law firm representing the victim told NewsChannel 13 this settlement is a sign of how strong the diocese believes the case is against them.
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“The fact that they’re willing to settle the claim a day before the trial starts for a number like this reflects that they are aware, very well aware that a jury might have awarded something significantly higher than this, right? And that they had a very high likelihood of being found liable,” said Mallory Allen, a partner with the law firm of Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala, which is representing the victim.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany released this statement on the case.
“The Diocese does not dispute that abuse occurred and our offer to walk with survivors remains. The Diocese agreed to this settlement out of sensitivity for the impact a trial could have on the survivor and their family. If a survivor finds healing in sharing their story, it should be on their terms and not dictated via the testimony of a court process. We are sorry that anyone was abused at the hands of anyone, including someone they should have been able to trust in the church.”
There are still more than 400 cases pending.