New York court: insurer not required to pay abuse claims for archdiocese

An appeals court has ruled that an insurance company is not required to pay sex-abuse claims against the New York archdiocese: a ruling that could push the archdiocese toward bankruptcy.

A lower court had ordered the Chubb insurance firms to pay settlements on more than 1,500 abuse claims. 

But the appeals court found that because “senior officials had known for decades that members of the clergy had and were committing sexual abuse,” and the archdiocese had failed to take appropriate action, the conditions of the insurance policies were not met.