The Connecticut legislature has wrestled with proposed legislation that would open a “revival window” enabling older victims of clergy and other child sexual abuse to file lawsuits against their abusers and responsible institutions. Each time, the Catholic Church, Boy Scouts, insurance companies and others have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying lawmakers to oppose such legislation. The most recent effort was defeated in May 2019. Another effort appears to be taking shape in 2019 but its future remains uncertain.
Here is a summary of what has occurred in each of the three Connecticut Dioceses concerning priests who have been “credibly accused” of child sexual abuse and settlements which have been paid:
On January 22, 2019, the Archdiocese of Hartford released the names of priests/clergy who have been “credibly accused” of sexually abusing children while serving in the ministry of the Archdiocese. The entire list appears below.
As of that date, the Archdiocese has paid $50.6million to settle 142 individual lawsuits claiming of child sexual abuse was perpetrated by priests of the Archdiocese or under its control at the time of the abuse. This equates to an average settlement amount of $356,338. Individual settlements ranged from $3,000 to $1.6million.
The Archdiocese also announced that it had hired retired Connecticut Superior Court Judge Antonio Rubaina to conduct a review of the Archdiocese’s clergy files dating back to 1953, the year in which the Archdiocese was established. The purpose of the review is to identify any other priests or clergy against whom allegations of child sexual abuse were made.
In October 2019, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut issued a report detailing child sexual abuse by priests serving the Diocese since its formation in 1953. The report was compiled by a retired Connecticut Superior Judge. The report is based upon the existing files and records of the Diocese so there are likely to be many more incidents of abuse that occurred but went unreported.
Among the findings set forth in the report are the following:
UPDATE: On March 22, 2019, the Diocese of Bridgeport released the names of ten (10) additional priests who have been “credibly accused” of child sexual abuse. The 10 priests were identified in a letter issued by the Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano, the Bishop of the Bridgeport Diocese. Of the 10 priests, eight were diocesan priests who are now deceased, one is a retired diocesan priest who is alive and is on Permanent Administrative Leave and one is a Venezuelan priest who was present in the Diocese for one summer in 1991. Their names have been added to the existing list of credibly accused clergy below.
On Sunday, February 10th, 2019, the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut released the names of 43 priests who have been credibly accused of the sexual abuse of children. According to a statement issued by the Diocese, the standards used for the identification of the priests was that of an “Allegation of Substance” which can be identified by any combination of the following:
According to the Diocese, the list was compiled by “a team of volunteer lay people with law enforcement and canonical experience” that conducted a “review of all clergy records” spanning 65 years, “since the establishment of the diocese on August 6, 1953...” The Diocese’s statement also reports that:
“The list of clergy includes 22 diocesan priests incardinated in the Diocese of Norwich, 7 priests who were members of religious orders, 2 priests who were from another diocese but working in the Diocese of Norwich, and 12 priests who served or resided in the Diocese of Norwich but who had allegations brought forward elsewhere from outside the diocese, in total 43 priests, roughly 2.8 percent of all clergy affiliated with the Diocese of Norwich since 1953.”
Over the years, the Diocese settled nine lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse committed by clergy who served in the Diocese. In the aggregate, the Diocese paid $7,681,646 to settle the nine lawsuits – an average of ~$854,000 per case. According to the Diocese, the sources of the settlement funds were:
On July 15, 2021 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich Connecticut filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. The Norwich Diocese claims liabilities of between $50 and $100 million and reports assets of between $10 and $50 million. In announcing the filing, the Diocesan Bishop, Michael R. Cote asserted that the bankruptcy filing is the most equitable way to resolve liabilities stemming from allegations of child sexual abuse as well as liabilities asserted by other creditors.
As part of the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy process, a “Bar Date” will be set by the Court. This Bar Date will be the last date that child sex abuse and other claims against the Norwich Diocese may be filed. After the Bar Date, no further claims will be accepted in the Bankruptcy proceeding and, if the Bankruptcy Court approves a Plan of Reorganization for the Diocese, all other claims against the Norwich Diocese for child sexual abuse committed prior to July 15, 2021 will be extinguished.
A Bar Date has not been set by the Court.
As of July 19, 2021, no Bar Date has been established by the Bankruptcy Court. However, if you or a loved one suffered childhood sexual abuse committed by a priest or other person working for or affiliated with the Norwich Diocese, the Bar Date (once established) will operate against any potential claim you may have.
The following lists include current or former priests who have been sued and/or suspended following allegations of sexual abuse of minors or have claims against them in the state of Connecticut. We are actively pursuing cases against Catholic priests and clergy as well as figures from other religious institutions. The list below includes priest, clergy, nuns and religious educators from 4 different Connecticut dioceses.
Important note: If the name of a priest or other member of clergy you are searching for does not appear in the lists below, it does not mean that you do not have a potential claim against that individual. These lists of credibly accused individuals are always expanding as more information is brought forth to the dioceses and to authorities. Please contact us if you or a loved one has been abused by a priest or other clergy member, regardless of whether they appear in the lists below or not.
| Archdiocese of Hartford | 48 Named Priests |
| Diocese of Bridgeport | 42 Named Priests |
| Diocese of Norwich | 43 Named Priests |
The following is a list of Archdiocese of Hartford Clergy who have been the objects of legal settlements or otherwise credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor from 1953 to the present:
Priests/Transitional Deacon of the Archdiocese of Hartford (36)
Religious Order Priests and Priests from other Dioceses who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor that took place in the Archdiocese of Hartford from 1953 to the present.
Externs (Priests belonging to another Archdiocese/Diocese) (6)
Religious order priests (6)
Incardinated Priests of the Diocese of Norwich
Priests Incardinated in Another Diocese Who Served in the Diocese of Norwich
Priests Belonging to a Religious Order Who Served in the Diocese of Norwich
Priests Who Served in the Diocese of Norwich Who Had Allegations in Other Dioceses But Not in the Diocese of Norwich
If you prefer to speak with us directly regarding your incident, please call The Meneo Law Group at 1-866-371-8506 1-866-371-8506 or send us a confidential email.