ALBANY (NY)
Spectrum News [New York NY]
September 12, 2025
Day three of testimony in the bankruptcy hearing of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany sexual abuse cases took place Friday in U.S. District Court Northern District of New York in downtown Albany.
“I feel a lot of weight from hearing other people’s stories,” said Colleen Garbarini, one of dozens of peopl,e who took the stand since Wednesday to share their experiences. “I have shared my story publicly before, but doing it in front of court and in front of the people who have been accused of covering up this abuse has been helpful.”
Garbarini and other victims filed civil suits against the diocese under the Child Victims Act, which extended the statue of limitations allowing alleged victims to pursue legal action against their alleged abusers.
That law passed in 2019. Four years later, the diocese filed for bankruptcy.
The impact statements given will not impact that filing, but allowed victims to share their experiences as part of the proceedings. The entire bankruptcy case will return to mediation on Sept. 25.