A court case involving more than 800 plaintiffs suing the Diocese of Buffalo for sexual abuse may be nearing an end, now that a settlement amount has been decided. It’s part of the Diocese’s Chapter 11 reorganization.
One of the final steps is allowing victims and survivors to share their comments.
It’s the Catholic Church’s responsibility to provide any assistance possible with the healing process, but that also includes helping victims and parishioners move on, Bishop Michael Fisher said.
“Part of that is emerging from coming up with the settlement that we need to provide, again, for restitution to them," he said. "But also, to bring to a conclusion, which we're expecting from our parishes so that they can move forward.”
There have been two days set at the end of January and two days at the end of February when plaintiffs can share non-testimonial statements, but there could be more days added, attorney Steve Boyd said. Boyd represents several victims and says the case cuts so deeply because it was at the hands of those who, in the eyes of many, spoke with the authority of God.
“And so, there's far more of a betrayal when that's the case than what you have in other sexual abuse situations, he added. "They're all bad, but this adds a layer that, it betrays your spirituality.”
The non-testimonial process allows abuse survivors to share feelings and statements without being cross-examined or considered as evidence.
More than 80 people could give statements, which Boyd expects to take four days at minimum.
A spokesman for the diocese recently told BTPM that while he would not speculate on the timing to resolve the settlement and Chapter 11 reorganization, the upcoming non-testimonial statements are an important part of the process.
