Rockville Centre diocese proposes up to $200 million settlement for clergy abuse survivors

The Diocese of Rockville Centre on Friday proposed a settlement of up to $200 million to be paid to hundreds of survivors of clergy sex abuse as it works toward emerging from bankruptcy. Attorneys for survivors denounced the proposal as too little and said the diocese was not being transparent about its finances in papers filed in U.S….

Clergy abuse survivors propose $450M payout from Rockville Centre diocese

With the Long Island Catholic Church bankruptcy case at “loggerheads,” lawyers for clergy sexual abuse survivors Thursday proposed a settlement in which the diocese would pay at least $450 million to victims. Hundreds of millions more would be paid out to survivors by church insurance companies, the attorneys said. They also cited filing documents listing the amount…

Reported Sexual Abuse at California Prep School Won’t Be Prosecuted

The school released a report last year that found widespread sexual abuse and harassment dating back decades. But local authorities concluded that several factors hampered their investigation. By Eduardo Medina Dec. 29, 2022 A criminal investigation into a private school in Ojai, Calif., facing decades of allegations of sexual misconduct has resulted in no criminal…

Former Student Files Lawsuit over Alleged Sexual Abuse at Thacher School

“I’m here because I’m a victim survivor of child sexual assault perpetrated on the Thacher School campus by my high school soccer coach, teacher, college advisor, John Friborg,” said Jennifer Christiansen Vurno, a former student at the elite Ojai boarding school, at a news conference on November 30. “I have suffered every day since the…

Child sex-abuse victims battle time, money in effort to hold suspects accountable. These laws can help.

A patchwork of statutes of limitations in the U.S. means a victim of childhood sex abuse may be able to sue in Maine but not Michigan. But advocates say much progress has been made. Amanda Lee Myers | USA TODAY By the time Jennifer Christiansen Vurno recognized the trauma of her sexual abuse as a…

2nd former student sues elite California boarding school alleging decades-old sex abuse

A second former student has sued an exclusive private school in Southern California, saying its administrators knowingly hired a sexual predator who went on to repeatedly abuse her. Jennifer Christiansen Vurno of Washington announced Wednesday that she is suing The Thacher School in Ojai for negligence, and sexual assault and harassment. Vurno, 44, said she was repeatedly sexually assaulted…

Ex-UCLA gynecologist James Heaps guilty of sexually abusing patients

A Los Angeles County jury on Thursday convicted former UCLA gynecologist Dr. James Heaps of sexually abusing female patients. Prosecutors portrayed Heaps as exploiting his position as a renowned cancer specialist to prey on the most vulnerable women during his 35 years associated with UCLA. Hundreds of accusers have been paid nearly $700 million by UCLA in…

Read Paul’s comments to Newsday on the Diocese of Rockville Centre bankruptcy

Two years after the Roman Catholic Church on Long Island became the largest diocese in the nation to declare bankruptcy, none of the hundreds of clergy sex abuse cases filed against the church has been settled. That has some survivors and their attorneys saying it is adding to the pain and injury the victims suffered…

The Unique Vulnerability of Youth Athletes

Courtney Kiehl, a former elite gymnast and now an attorney who advocates for survivors of child sexual abuse, joins us to discuss what makes youth athletes vulnerable, and how we can help.

A Survivor Shares Her Strength

Courtney Kiehl JD ’15 Law knew she wanted to work with trauma survivors in some capacity. A former elite gymnast and survivor of child sexual abuse, Kiehl chose to pursue a legal career after earning her bachelor’s degree in sociology at UCLA, where she had become involved in victims’ rights organizations. “When I began researching law…