BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News
By Jay Tokasz
August 12, 2018
Administrators of a Diocese of Buffalo program to compensate childhood victims of clergy sex abuse will consider whether the diocese had “prior notice” of an alleged abuser’s conduct as they determine how much money the victims should get.
But it’s unclear if diocesan officials are under any obligation to hand over personnel files that show whether the diocese knew a priest was prone to abuse.
That’s one of the compensation program’s major shortcomings, according to lawyers for some of the victims.
People who make claims of abuse with the diocese aren’t told what information, if any, the diocese provides to program administrators.
“It’s a virtual black hole of a protocol,” said J. Michael Reck, an attorney who represents more than 30 clients who filed claims with the Buffalo compensation program.
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