The Diocese of Buffalo is hosting internal meetings with priests in the diocese to discuss the allocation strategy to be utilized to fund the $150 million settlement that will include contributions from the diocese, its parishes and Catholic affiliates.
On April 22, 2025, the Diocese of Buffalo and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors announced the material terms of a settlement in principle in the Chapter 11 case filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Western District of New York on February 28, 2020. The settlement remains subject to Bankruptcy Court approval through a plan of reorganization to be filed by the Diocese.
The April settlement is an important step in bringing healing to survivors of sexual abuse, and in forming the basis for a plan of reorganization that will lead to the Diocese’s eventual exit from Chapter 11.
Meetings are underway with diocesan priest groups concerning how the settlement terms will be met once the settlement is finalized. The pool of settlement funds will be derived from available funds of the Diocese, from individual parishes from their available funds, and contributions from Catholic-affiliated entities.
In the next several weeks, meetings with lay leadership from all parishes will be held to discuss information on the progress made in reaching an agreement, and the expectations on parishes as we together work to fulfill our financial obligations to the claimants.
This settlement between the Committee and the Diocese, parishes, and other entities affiliated with the Diocese does not include contributions from any insurance companies that provided Diocesan or parish coverage. Settlement discussions with insurers are ongoing under the supervision of mediators appointed by the Bankruptcy Court.
For more information, please contact Joe Martone, Communications Director at jm******@************se.org, (716) 847-8743, (716) 361-1931.