Rockefeller U, Facing 100s Of Sex Abuse Lawsuits, Sues Insurers

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Upper East Side's storied medical school and hospital Rockefeller University is suing its insurers ahead of a week in which the institution could face hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits from victims of a longtime doctor and researcher at the school.

Rockefeller University filed a lawsuit Sunday in Manhattan Supreme Court against some of the world's insurance giants such as Aetna, Travelers and Lloyd’s of London, claiming that the companies are refusing to "pay for the defense, settlements, and/or judgments in connection with hundreds of claims against the University."

The lawsuit discloses that "several hundred" of the former victims of Dr. Reginald Archibald plan to sue Rockefeller University when a one-year window that lifts statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse claims goes into effect later this month. Despite decades of Rockefeller University paying premiums, insurance companies are now balking at the prospect of the massive civil penalties facing the school.

"When the University is in need of coverage for which it has fully paid, Defendants have disregarded and continue to disregard their fiduciary and contractual duties to the University, while impeding, obstructing, and delaying the resolution of the underlying claims at issue," the lawsuit filed by Rockefeller University reads.

A spokeswoman for Rockefeller University declined to comment on the litigation.

Lawyers representing Archibald's victims said that the university's lawsuit against its insurers may be a positive sign for their clients. By suing the insurance companies into honoring their duties, Rockefeller University could be preparing to offer settlements and pay legal damages.

"After years of stonewalling and denials at the expense of survivors, Rockefeller University is finally beginning to take important steps towards addressing the decades of sexual abuse they allowed to occur under their watch," attorney James R. Marsh said in a statement.

Archibald worked at Rockefeller University as a professor and senior physician from the 1948 to 1980. During that time he frequently abused patients while performing medical procedures and evaluations, according to an investigation by the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton. Archibald's specialty was childhood growth and maturation, and he conducted studies on growth and sexual maturity as well as treating patients who had growth and hormone issues.

While Archibald performed routine medical tests on some patients, he sexually abused others, according to the investigation. The doctor's predatory behaviors included fondling patients while taking measurements of their genitalia, brushing up against patients' genitals, brushing up against patients with his genitals and taking nude photographs of patients without a valid medical reason, according to the investigation.

Read Patch's full coverage of the investigation here.