CNA Staff, Jun 19, 2020 / 11:16 am
The Diocese of Syracuse announced Friday it would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid the financial impact of numerous sexual abuse lawsuits.
New York's Child Victims Act, which passed early last year, opened a one-year window for adults in the state who were sexually abused as children to file lawsuits against their abusers.
The CVA also allows child abuse victims to file criminal charges up to age 28, and lawsuits up to age 55. Previously, they had until the age of 23 to file charges or a civil claim.
Bishop Douglas Lucia- who has led the diocese for less than a year- said in a June 19 letter that without the reorganization, alleged victims who filed their abuse claims under the CVA first, or pursued their claim more aggressively, would deplete the dioceses' resources and leave the diocese unable to pay other alleged victims.