NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With the confirmation of a $323 million settlement, one of the largest involving the Roman Catholic Church in U.S. history, an estimated 600 survivors of clerical sexual abuse from the Rockville Centre Diocese on Long Island have gained some measure of justice.
Key in securing this historic recovery and reorganization plan was the work of the legal team of Tim Burns and Jesse Bair, who led the litigation efforts that resulted in an almost $90 million contribution to the settlement from the diocese’s insurance carriers.
“We are pleased that the survivors of horrendous sexual abuse by the clergy affiliated with this diocese will now obtain some recovery for the wrongs inflicted on them,” says Tim Burns, of Wisconsin-based Burns Bair LLP. “The confirmation of the diocese’s plan of reorganization begins to conclude one of many cases across the country aimed at forcing religious entities and their insurers to fulfill their duties to survivors. Sadly, there are still many cases in which Catholic dioceses and their insurers are refusing to come to terms with their obligations to sexual abuse survivors.”
Burns Bair has been retained by the official unsecured creditors’ committees in a dozen similar cases nationwide, including those involving the Catholic dioceses of Rochester, Buffalo, Albany, and Syracuse, N.Y.; Oakland, Sacramento, and Santa Rosa, Calif.; and the archdioceses of Baltimore and San Francisco. The firm brings years of experience achieving eight-and nine-figure results for some of the nation’s largest banks, investment firms, and manufacturing companies to bear in partnering with the plaintiffs’ bar to obtain insurance recoveries for sexual abuse survivors and other victims of wrongdoing and institutional malfeasance.
“The diocese and its insurers made significant financial contributions here only after years of contentious bankruptcy battles,” says the firm’s Jesse Bair. “We are committed to achieving justice for the survivors, no matter how long the fight or how hard the battle."
The amount of additional contributions from bankrupt insurance carrier Arrowood Indemnity is uncertain. Other insurers involved in the settlement include Interstate Fire & Casualty Co., Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co., and National Surety Corp., as well as underwriters at Lloyd’s of London Market Companies.
About Burns Bair LLP
Burns Bair represents a wide range of organizations, corporate and professional entities, and individuals in complex, high-stakes litigation against insurance companies. The firm has built an outstanding record of success in recovering major liability claims under many diverse types of policies and holding the industry accountable for financial fraud and other misdeeds. Based in Madison, Wis., the firm’s work is national in scope, while maintaining high standards of service and responsiveness for every client.