The Buffalo (N.Y.) Diocese faces more pressure to make a deal with child sex abuse survivors after Catholic dioceses in Rochester and Syracuse recently took major steps toward exiting their chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, according to legal experts, the Buffalo News reported. The Syracuse Diocese announced on Thursday that it will pay abuse victims at least $100 million, and possibly more, through insurance funds, while Rochester last week negotiated a new deal with victims that now includes some insurance money, and would pay at least $126 million toward a settlement. The proposed deals in Rochester and Syracuse still must be approved by a vote of victim creditors and confirmed by a federal bankruptcy judge, but they provide the Buffalo Diocese with a potential path forward in resolving what has been a lengthy and arduous reorganization effort now in its 40th month. Mediated talks between the Buffalo Diocese and abuse survivors are ongoing, although the status of the negotiations is unclear because the parties are bound by a gag order.
