DONATIONS
DONATIONS GO UP... THE OPPOSITE APPEARS TO BE TRUE
FOR THE BUFFALO
CATHOLIC DIOCESE
A NUMBER OF
PARISHES TELL 2 ON-
YOUR-SIDE THEY'VE
SEEN COLLECTIONS
DROP AS THE CLERGY
SEX ABUSE SCANDAL
HAS PLAYED OUT.
THIS AS THE DIOCESE
GETS READY TO
COMPENSATE NEARLY
200-VICTIMS.
WHAT WILL THIS COST?
INVESTIGATIVE
REPORTER STEVE
BROWN JOINS US WITH
SOME ANSWERS...
STEVE?
STEVE?
SCOTT...
SCOTT... THE DIOCESE SAYS IT STARTED ITS SEX ABUSE
COMPENSATION
PROGRAM THIS YEAR
BECAUSE IT WAS THE
RIGHT... AND
COMPASSIONATE THING
TO DO.
A SOURCE INSIDE THE
DIOCESE SAYS THERE
WAS ALSO A FINANCIAL
INCENTIVE TO CLEAR AS
MANY OF THESE CASES
AS POSSIBLE AT...
QUOTE... "BUFFALO
PRICES"... MEANING
CHEAPER THAN IF A
JURY DECIDED HOW
MUCH A VICTIM SHOULD
GET.
TONIGHT... USING NEW
DISCLOSURES FROM
THE DIOCESE... ITS
OWN FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS... AND
NEW DATA WE FOUND
ELSEWHERE... OUR
ANALYSIS SUGGESTS
COMPENSATING
CLERGY SEX ABUSE
VICTIMS HERE WILL
COST TENS OF
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS...
AT A MINIMUM...
IAN
IAN REDPATH IS A FAIRLY NEW CATHOLIC... "I JUST CONVERTED.
UH. FOUR YEARS
AGO. AND UH. SO.
I'M A LITTLE
DISILLUSIONED TO SAY
THE LEAST. UH. WITH
WHAT'S GOING ON."
IT'S THE UN-FOLDING
CLERGY SEX ABUSE
SCANDAL... THAT'S
BOTHERING HIM.
REDPATH WONDERS
WHERE THE MONEY'S
COMING FROM TO
COMPENSATE ABUSE
VICTIMS.
BISHOP RICHARD
MALONE HAS SAID
REPEATEDLY...
"I CAN ASSURE YOU
THAT NOTHING IS
COMING FROM THE
CATHOLIC CHARITIES
APPEAL MONEY. OR
THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
MONEY. TO GO TO
OUR ATTORNEYS OR.
UH.VICTIM
SETTLEMENTS."
UH.VICTIM SETTLEMENTS." THAT ANSWER DOESN'T
SATISFY REDPATH...
WHO'S ALSO THE
CHAIRMAN OF THE
CANISIUS COLLEGE
ACCOUNTING
DEPARTMENT
ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT "I'VE HEARD WHAT'S
NOT GOING TO BE
USED. I'VE YET TO HEAR
WHAT'S GOING TO BE
USED."
FOR STARTERS... SOME
OF THE MONEY THE
DIOCESE GETS...
COMES FROM THE
PARISHES.
THAT MONEY THAT
GOES IN THE
COLLECTION
BASKETS?... THE
DIOCESE GETS A CUT...
CALLED ASSESSMENTS.
THE DIOCESE SAYS ON
AVERAGE IT GETS 20-
PERCENT OF PARISH
COLLECTIONS.
SOME PARISHES
REPORT HAVING TO
PART WITH UP TO 30-
PERCENT.
COULD THIS MONEY...
OR SOME OF IT... BE
USED TO COMPENSATE
ABUSE VICTIMS?
IT COULD.
BUT HOW MUCH WILL
BE NEEDED?
2 ON-YOUR-SIDE HAS
TRIED TO GET
ANSWERS.
"IS THERE A BUDGET
FOR THIS?... HOW MUCH
MONEY DOES THE
DIOCESE HAVE.".
"YOU KNOW. PEOPLE
ASK ME THAT ALL THE
TIME AND WE'RE NOT
SURE BECAUSE WE
DON'T WHAT THE.
HOW WOULD I CALL
IT?... WHAT WOULD BE
THE RANGE OR
SPECTRUM OF UH.
OF. OF. OF.
PAYMENTS." ...AND
THE PRICETAG WILL
ALSO DEPEND ON THE
NUMBER PEOPLE FILING
CLAIMS... AND THERE
HAVE BEEN A LOT OF
CLAIMS...
".THE NUMBERS
WERE OVERWHELMING.
I THINK THE IMAGE.
THE TSUNAMI... IS NOT
APPROPRIATE." HOW
MANY IS A TSUNAMI OF
CLAIMS?
A DIOCESAN ATTORNEY
REPORTS THAT THEY
HAD...
HAD... ".RECEIVED 191 NEW CLAIMS."
"SO. HOW MUCH
COULD THAT COST?
WELL... THE
OGDENBURG DIOCESE
THIS YEAR ALSO WENT
THROUGH THIS
PROCESS OF
COMPENSATING ITS
VICTIMS OF CLERGY
SEX ABUSE.
OGDENSBURG
RESOLVED 37 CLAIMS
FOR JUST UNDER
FIVE-POINT-FIVE
MILLION DOLLARS. THAT
COMES OUT TO LESS
THAN 150-THOUSAND
DOLLARS PER CLAIM. IF
THE BUFFALO DIOCESE
RESOLVED ALL 191 OF
ITS CLAIMS AT THE
SAME PRICE. IT
COMES OUT TO MORE
THAN 28-MILLION.
NOW... THAT'S OUR
ESTIMATE... AND IT'S
POSSIBLE WHATEVER
THE NUMBER IS... THAT
IT'S ABOUT TO GO
HIGHER."
IT APPEARS ALL BUT
CERTAIN THAT STATE
GOVERNMENT WILL
PASS THE "CHILD
VICTIMS ACT" IN 2019...
BECAUSE GOVERNOR
CUOMO WANTS IT TO
BECOME LAW IN NEW
YORK...
"I DO BELIEVE THERE
SHOULD BE A
RECOGNITION AND
JUSTICE SHOULD BE
DONE FOR THE
VICTIMS."
THE PROPOSED BILL
WOULD ALLOW CIVIL
SUITS TO MOVE
FORWARD WHERE THE
STATUTE OF
LIMITATIONS HAD
EXPIRED.
EARLIER THIS MONTH
WE ASKED THE
BISHOP... IF THE CHILD
VICTIMS ACT BECAME
LAW WOULD THAT...
".MEAN MORE
LAWSUITS AGAINST THE
DIOCESE. MEANING
MORE MONEY YOU'D
HAVE TO SPEND ON
THIS ISSUE?"
"WELL. IT POSSIBLY
COULD."
...BUT AGAIN... WHERE
DOES THE MONEY
COME FROM?
AT THAT SAME NEWS
CONFERENCE WE
HEARD THIS FROM A
DIOCESAN ATTORNEY
".YOU WOULD HAVE
THE POSSIBILITY OF
INSURANCE COMPANIES
STEPPING-UP TO. TO
MEET THEIR
OBLIGATIONS FOR
THOSE CASES."
"YES. THE DIOCESE
HAS INSURANCE. TWO
KINDS. IT HAS SELF-
INSURANCE WHICH IS
MONEY IT SETS ASIDE
FOR CLAIMS. AT LAST
REPORT, THAT WAS
ABOUT SEVEN-MILLION
DOLLARS. IT ALSO HAS
A POLICY WITH
NATIONAL CATHOLIC.
THEY ARE
HEADQUARTERED IN
THIS NICE BUILDING IN
LISLE. ILLINOIS. THE
COMPANY OFFERS
DIOCESES LIMITED
COVERAGE FOR
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT.
BUT DOES NOT COVER
ACTS PRIOR TO 1988.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF
THE ABUSE CLAIMS
HERE. ARE BEFORE
1988. SO. SEEMINGLY
NOT COVERED. SO...
WHAT DO WE KNOW
THE DIOCESE IS DOING
TO GET READY TO PAY
THESE CLAIMS? WE
KNOW THEY ARE
SELLING STUFF."
THE DIOCESE IS
SELLING PROPERTY
LIKE THE BISHOP'S
RESIDENCE
IT HAS NOT SOLD YET...
BUT BUFFALO BUSINESS
FIRST REPORTS THE
DIOCESE HAS SOLD
TWO DOZEN OTHER
PROPERTIES... TAKING
IN EIGHT-POINT-SEVEN
MILLION DOLLARS.
SEEMINGLY... NOT
ENOUGH.
THE DIOCESE ALSO
HAS INVESTMENTS...
41-MILLION DOLLARS
WORTH.
COULD THEY SELL
THOSE OFF?
SURE.
BUT THE BISHOP AND
THE DIOCESE HAVE NOT
LAYED OUT HOW THEY
WILL PAY ABUSE
CLAIMS.
AND BUFFALO-AREA
CATHOLICS LIKE
REDPATH... ARE STILL
WAITING FOR CLEAR
ANSWERS...
"I THINK PEOPLE WHO
HAVE SKEPTICISM.
UH. RIGHTFULLY SO.
HAVE SKEPTICISM.
AND WE WON'T KNOW
UNLESS THERE'S FULL
DISCLOSURE."
DISCLOSURE."
THE
THE SINGLE THING THAT MAKES COMPENSATING
CLERGY SEX ABUSE
VICITIMS MORE
EXPENSIVE IS THE
LIKELIHOOD OF A CHILD
VICTIMS LAW IN NEW
YORK NEXT YEAR.
ATTORNEYS WITH
CLIENTS CLAIMING
ABUSE TELL ME THEY
GO TO THE
NEGOTIATING TABLE
WITH THE ADVANTAGE.
IF THEY DON'T LIKE
WHAT THE DIOCESE IS
OFFERING WITHIN ITS
COMPENSATION
PROGRAM... THEN THEY
CAN WITHDRAW... WAIT
FOR A CHILD VICTIMS
ACT... AND THEN FILE A
LAWSUIT.
STEVE... BISHOP
MALONE HAS
REPEATEDLY SAID
MONEY THE DIOCESE
GETS FROM THE
CATHOLIC CHARITIES
APPEAL WILL NOT BE
USED FOR VICTIM
SETTLEMENTS.
HOW DO WE KNOW
THAT'S TRUE?
RESPECTFULLY... WE
DON'T.
A CHUNK OF CATHOLIC
CHARITIES MONEY... A
LITTLE OVER 3-MILLION
DOLLARS... IS
EARMARKED FOR THE
FUND FOR THE FAITH.
THE DIOCESE
ADMINISTERS IT... AND
HAS A LONG LIST OF
WORTHY CAUSES IT
SAYS IT SPENDS THE
MONEY ON.
BUT... THE DIOCESE
DOES NOT PROVIDE AN
ACCOUNTING OF HOW
THAT MONEY'S SPENT
BACK TO CATHOLIC
CHARITIES.
SO... THE PUBLIC...
PARISHIONERS HAVE TO
TAKE IT ON FAITH THAT
THAT'S WHERE THE
MONEY IS SPENT.
SAID ANOTHER WAY...
AT A TIME WHEN THE
DIOCESE AND THE
BISHOP'S CREDIBILITY
ARE AT HISTORIC
LOWS... THEY WANT
PARISHIONERS TO
TRUST THEM ON THIS.
IT'S ASKING A LOT.
NATIONWIDE... THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC CONTINUES TO TAKE A