New York’s Attorney General, in a 218-page complaint, yesterday filed suit against the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, two of its former bishops and its Apostolic Administrator over the handling of complaints of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults. The complaint (full text) in People of the State of New York v. Diocese of Buffalo, (NY County Sup. Ct., filed 11/23/2020), alleges in part:
The Attorney General brings this lawsuit to obtain remedial and injunctive relief for the persistent violation of New York nonprofit law by the Diocese of Buffalo …. For nearly two decades, the Diocesan Corporation ignored standards established by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops … to address and prevent the sexual abuse of minors by U.S. clergy. In direct defiance of the USCCB’s public commitment to reform, the Diocesan Corporation, through the conduct of its senior leadership, evaded key provisions of these standards, ignoring requirements for the investigation and review of alleged clergy sexual abuse….
[T]hrough their actions and inactions in response to the sexual abuse crisis, the Diocesan Corporation and its two most senior leaders … violated multiple provisions of the Not-for-Profit Corporation Law … and Estates, Powers and Trusts Law….
The Attorney General seeks injunctive relief to accomplish three objectives: provide mechanisms for independent review of the Diocesan Corporation’s response to alleged sexual abuse; require reporting to the Attorney General for a period of five years; and mandate external oversight of an appropriate remedial and compliance plan. This action also seeks to hold Bishop Malone and Auxiliary Bishop Grosz individually responsible for violating their secular duties as fiduciaries of the Diocesan Corporation by enjoining them from future service in a secular role as a director or officer of any charitable organization subject to New York law and by obtaining damages against and restitution from them for the waste of charitable assets caused by their misconduct.
The New York attorney general also issued a press release announcing the filing of the lawsuit. New York Times also reports on the lawsuit.