Archdiocese of New York Continued Attempts to Disclaim Responsibility Fail
(New York, NY) – Today, The Appellate Division – First Department overturned a lower court decision dismissing the Archdiocese of New York from a case involving the Jesuit Religious Order and Fordham Preparatory School. The case was filed by Herman Law under the Child Victims Act on behalf of a former student-survivor. The Archdiocese brought similar arguments and are facing appeals in multiple other cases disclaiming responsibility for sexual abuse by religious order priests, who operate within the territory of the Archdiocese, and their related schools.
“The decision by the First Department is a huge win for survivors, not only in the Archdiocese of New York, but across the state.” said attorney Jeff Anderson. “It’s time for reckoning in the Archdiocese and full transparency for survivors.”
“The Catholic Bishops of New York have continued to make frail attempts to block survivors of sexual abuse from their opportunities of accountability,” said attorney Pat Stoneking. “This ruling shows that the courts will not tolerate the Archdiocese of New York’s shrewd and shallow attempts to minimize and diminish their role in the horrific abuse of so many children.”
The Archdiocese of New York argued that they had no control over a religious order priest or activities at religious order run school and that the court’s questioning of this inquiry infringed on their First Amendment rights. The First Department disagreed, concluding that the Archdiocese failed to put forth sufficient evidence to support their conclusion. This decision will directly impact dozens of survivors of clergy abuse with claims against the Archdiocese of New York.