The New York Times reports that the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn has agreed to pay $27.5 million to four men who were sexually abused by a religion teacher when they were children.
According to the settlement, each of the men will receive $6.8 million, making this one of the highest figures paid by the Catholic Church to survivors of sexual abuse.
According to New York Law Journal, Angelo Serrano, a volunteer and director of religious studies at St. Lucy-St. Patrick’s, abused the plaintiffs between 2003 and 2009 when they were between the ages of 8 and 12 years old.
Serrano pleaded guilty in 2011 and is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence.
This comes in the aftermath of a stunning grand jury report in Pennsylvania which found more than 1,000 children had been the targets of sexual misconduct by hundreds of priests over decades.
Sparked in part by that grand jury report, the New York State Attorney General announced two weeks ago a statewide civil investigation into sex abuse allegations within the Catholic Church and its possible cover-up by church leaders.
The New York AG has reportedly issued subpoenas to every Catholic diocese in the state.
