PORTLAND (ME)
WMTW-TV, ABC-8 [Portland ME]
August 4, 2026
By WMTW
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland has reached financial settlements with a number of people who previously sued the church, alleging they were sexually abused by Catholic priests, even though their claims were barred by Maine’s old statute of limitations.
The civil lawsuits alleged sexual abuse by Catholic priests between 1954 and 1988.
Maine no longer has a statute of limitations for civil child sexual abuse claims.
However, the claims in these cases had expired before that law changed, and in January 2025, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled that older claims could not be revived retroactively.
Despite that ruling, the Diocese of Portland announced that Bishop James Ruggieri decided to enter into settlement agreements with some survivors.
In a statement, Ruggieri wrote, “this is intended to acknowledge, in a tangible way, consistent with our resources and obligations, the seriousness of what has been reported and the lasting impact of abuse.”
It is unclear how many survivors are included in the agreements.
Our media partner WMTW requested an interview, but the Diocese of Portland declined.
Attorneys representing the survivors said they are still working to determine which details of the settlement agreements they are permitted to share publicly.