HAWAII
Church Militant
by Joseph Pelletier • ChurchMilitant.com • January 21, 2016
HONOLULU (ChurchMilitant.com) – The Catholic Church of Hawaii is suing an insurance company over allegations the diocese is being denied promised coverage of sex abuse settlements.
The lawsuit, filed January 14 with the Honolulu 1st Circuit Court, claims the First Insurance Company of Hawaii is rejecting requests from the diocese of Honolulu to honor a contract made decades ago in its liability policies with the Hawaiian Catholic Church.
The Church is seeking to compensate approximately 60 individuals who were sexually abused by a “number of priests or brothers.” The liability policies purchased from the First Insurance Company, ranging from $100,000 “per occurrence” to $1 million, were intended to cover payouts related to bodily harm or property damage inflicted by the Church.
A statement on the matter from Bp. Larry Silva was released by a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Hawaii:
The Roman Catholic Church in Hawaii is committed to providing victims of sexual abuse with compassionate resolution, but with limited resources, it cannot do so on its own. We remain hopeful that First Insurance Company of Hawaii will assist us in our efforts by honoring the insurance coverage the Church purchased in years past.
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