A vote from nearly 900 child sexual abuse survivors who filed claims against the Buffalo Diocese worth nearly $327 million has passed.
The vote marks the end of the yearslong legal battle that is part of the diocese’s ongoing bankrupty proceedings.
The diocese first filed for bankruptcy in February 2020.
The process has been one of the longest settlement processes involving priest sexual abuse cases in the country.
Throughout the process, the diocese has merged and closed dozens of churches throughout Western New York in order to
An allocator hired by the survivors committee will look through all proofs of claim and will allocate the amounts based on the severity of each individual claim.
The vote is set to be reported to a judge on Nov. 18 and lawyers from the diocese and creditors committee are working with insurance companies to finish paperwork, which they hope to have complete by the Nov. 18 court date.
The diocese is set to go back to court on Dec. 8 to introduce evidence of the bankruptcy plan.
If all goes according to plan, the plan will become effective in January.