GREENFIELD (MA)
Republican
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
By BILL ZAJAC
wzajac@repub.com
GREENFIELD - Some insurance companies are stating that they are not responsible for paying any money used by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield to settle claims by those who said they were sexually abused by clergy, according to court documents.
A status conference for the consolidated Catholic clergy abuse cases scheduled for 2 p.m. today in Hampden Superior Court will be held in Franklin Superior Court, where Judge John A. Agostini is sitting this month. The decision was made in December 2003 to have Agostini handle all pending sexual abuse cases filed against the diocese.
Meanwhile, several insurance companies have submitted documents to the court stating they are not responsible for any monetary obligations to the diocese regarding the claims.
Also, Centennial Insurance Co. and Lloyd's of London have asked the court to dismiss a suit filed by the diocese in June seeking money from seven insurance companies to settle pending claims and reimburse the diocese for previous settlements with alleged clergy abuse victims.
The insurance companies also want the court to reimburse them for legal expenses, according to the documents that have been filed in the past few days.