2 Years After LI Diocese Bankruptcy, Hundreds Of Sex Abuse Cases Remain Frozen

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY — Hundreds of sex abuse cases filed against the Diocese of Rockville Centre have not been settled in the two years since it declared bankruptcy, according to online court records reviewed by Patch.

After an in-depth investigation of court documents, Patch found that at least 334 plaintiffs who claimed they were sexually abused by a Diocese employee as a child, are still awaiting settlements, as the status of their cases remain idle. Attorneys told Newsday 636 lawsuits have been filed.

The Diocese of Rockville Centre declared bankruptcy Oct. 1, 2020.

Bishop John O. Barres said in a written statement on the bankruptcy claim that the diocese “could not continue to carry out its spiritual, charitable and educational missions while also having to shoulder the increasingly heavy burden of litigation expenses associated with these cases.”

He also clarified that the parishes and schools of the diocese are separate legal entities, therefore, they are not included in the bankruptcy filing.

Sean P. Dolan, director of communications for the diocese, told Patch that mediation is currently ongoing.

“The Diocese is working in good faith to conclude the bankruptcy case as quickly as possible for the sake of everyone involved in a way that treats the survivors of abuse as fairly as possible, and not simply based on who filed lawsuits first,” he said.

The 506 cases were filed through the Child Victims Act, which allowed survivors of sexual abuse a window to file claims despite statute of limitations.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Child Victims Act in February 2019, and it went into effect in August of that year. The window to file claims was extended to July 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

At the time of the declared bankruptcy, the diocese faced 203 cases. Since then, that amount has more than doubled, with at least 506 claims filed, according to bankruptcy documents.

In 2021, the diocese sold its headquarters in Rockville Centre for $5.2 million, as part of its bankruptcy proceedings. It was purchased by Synergy Holding Partners LLC. The property includes a five-story office building and a parking lot for 58 cars.

Per the bankruptcy court, the entire sale of the building was intended to pay the diocese's creditors.

The Rockville Centre is the fourth Roman Catholic diocese to file for bankruptcy in New York
state, after the Dioceses of Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo. Rockville Centre is believed to be
the largest diocese to file for bankruptcy.

Amanda Pérez Pintado contributed additional reporting to this story.