INSURERS TO PAY BULK OF MINNESOTA DIOCESE’S 64M ABUSE SETTLEMENT

The Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota has reached a $34m settlement with 93 current and former parishioners who allege they were sexually abused by priests and other church employees. The diocese and its parishes are to contribute $8m to the settlement, while its unidentified liability insurers will cover the balance. If the settlement is approved by a bankruptcy court, the New Ulm diocese will emerge from the bankruptcy proceedings it began in March 2017. The New Ulm settlement follows several other sexual abuse settlements and bankruptcies of other Roman Catholic entities in Minnesota, including a $210m deal reached by the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis and a $40m settlement reached by the Diocese of Duluth.