On January 26, 2026, the Diocese of Syracuse’s plan of reorganization (“Plan”) became effective, concluding the Committee’s work on the case. The bankruptcy case was officially closed on March 26, 2026. In accordance with the Plan, the survivor settlement trust (the “Trust”) has been established and will administer the distribution of the settlement funds to survivors that filed claims in the case.
The Committee is pleased to report that Judge Kinsella has entered her written order confirming the Diocese of Syracuse’s plan of reorganization (the “Plan”). Here’s what survivors can expect moving forward assuming that there is no appeal of the confirmation order:
While the Committee cannot identify the precise date that the settlement funds will be disbursed, it wants to emphasize its confidence that both the Trustee and Claim Reviewer, each of whom the Committee selected, will act with the utmost diligence and expedience to ensure that distributions can be made to survivors as soon as possible. The Committee recognizes that this has been a long and difficult process for all Survivors, and while there is still work to be completed, is happy to report that the end is in sight.
Please feel free to reach out to the Committee’s counsel at syracusesurvivorteam@stinson.com with any questions.
The Committee appointed in the Diocese of Syracuse bankruptcy case to advocate on behalf of survivors has noted the election of a new leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV. This has raised concerns among some regarding his commitment to the prevention and investigation of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. This article summarizes those concerns. The Committee wishes to acknowledge those concerns and share that it is fully committed to its work in this case to both achieve a financial settlement for survivors and the adoption of policies that will end sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.
As you may know, the bankruptcy plan that has been confirmed requires the Diocese to comply with important child protection protocols developed by the Committee and the Diocese to enhance the Diocese’s procedures for protecting children within the Diocese.
One aspect of the new child protection protocols provides that a survivor will be appointed to the “Diocesan Review Board.” The Diocesan Review Board is a body within the Diocese that, among other things, evaluates any new claims of sexual abuse that are brought to the Diocese and provides recommendations to the Bishop regarding such claims. The Bishop will select the survivor to be appointed to the Diocesan Review Board from a list of five interested survivors provided by the Committee.
The Committee invites survivors who may be interested in serving on the Diocesan Review Board to a meeting on October 23, 2025 at 11:00AM Eastern Time where it will further discuss with interested survivors what the role will entail. To the extent you are interested, please email Syracusesurvivorteam@stinson.com by October 22, 2025 and you will be provided a Zoom link for the meeting. The Committee will nominate five survivors for appointment to the Diocesan Review Board after the meeting.
In a significant victory for Survivors, Judge Littlefield has issued a decision that has wide-ranging implications. Specifically, Judge Littlefield concluded that insurers who deny that they are financially responsible for survivor claims do not—without more—have standing (the ability to act in Court) to object to survivor claims. The decision is instructive with regard to when and whether insurance companies have the ability to act in bankruptcy cases.
In the Diocese of Albany case, two of the Diocese’s insurance carriers, London Market Insurers and the Hartford, objected to nearly 50 survivor claims. The Committee challenged the objections, arguing that the insurers did not have standing to object. Judge Littlefield agreed, writing: “As the Court stated on the record, it is difficult to “understand how [the Insurers] create the thread that [the Insurers] have standing when [they] have nothing at stake, [they] have no skin in the game.”
The Committee applauds this decision and is hopeful that it will recognized across the country in situations where insurance companies attempt to interfere in bankruptcy cases to the detriment of Survivors.