The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York is suing life insurance firms that it believes do not honour liability policies in relation to historical abuse cases . Following a new law offering a one - year window for older victims of sexual abuse to take civil action outside of the statute of limitations , the Archdiocese is filing numerous lawsuits . The firms , which provided liability insurance to the archdiocese over the years , reportedly intend to refuse to cover costs , including legal fees , once the window closes in August . The Catholic organisation has already paid out $ 65 m in compensation to 323 victims since then .
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York is suing 31 insurance firms that it believes will not honour liability policies in relation to historical abuse cases. Following a new law offering a one-year window for older victims of sexual abuse to take civil action outside of the statute of limitations, the church is anticipating numerous lawsuits. The firms, which provided liability insurance to the archdiocese over the years, reportedly intend to refuse to cover costs, including legal fees, once the window opens in August. The Catholic organisation has already paid out $65m in compensation to 323 victims since 2016.