Latest / Crime Stories with Nancy Grace / Historic $800 Million Settlement Reached in Archdiocese of New York Abuse Litigation | Crime Alert 10.27.26

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Historic $800 Million Settlement Reached in Archdiocese of New York Abuse Litigation | Crime Alert 10.27.26 · Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

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  Speaker 1: Crime Alert, hourly update, breaking crime news now.
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  Speaker 2: I'm Sydney Silvani. In a historic reckoning decades in the making,
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  Speaker 2: the Archdiocese of New York has agreed to pay more
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  Speaker 2: than $ 800 million to approximately 1,300 people who say they
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  Speaker 2: were sexually abused by clergy members and church leaders. Reached
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  Speaker 2: after more than seven years of litigation, this marks the
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  Speaker 2: second largest settlement of its kind involving a Roman Catholic
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  Speaker 2: archdiocese in United States history. According to a statement released
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  Speaker 2: by Jeff Anderson and Associates, all 1,300 plaintiffs unanimously agreed
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  Speaker 2: to the terms, clearing a major hurdle after negotiations stretched
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  Speaker 2: on for nearly a year. Archbishop Ronald Hicks confirmed the
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  Speaker 2: agreement in an email to clergy, though it will not
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  Speaker 2: become final until all parties formally sign documents during the
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  Speaker 2: week of November 6th. Attorney Jeff Anderson, whose firm represents
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  Speaker 2: 300 plaintiffs, praised the survivors' courage and sacrifice in forcing
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  Speaker 2: institutional accountability. Under the agreement, detailed by Herman Law, each
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  Speaker 2: survivor may accept a lump sum payment of at least
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  Speaker 2: $ 250, 000 or seek a potentially larger recovery through an individual
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  Speaker 2: review of their allegations. The settlement also mandates vital transparency measures.
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  Speaker 2: The Archdiocese must publish and regularly update an official list
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  Speaker 2: of credibly accused clergy and lay leaders, while previously confidential
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  Speaker 2: files detailing allegations against priests will be permanently housed in
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  Speaker 2: a public archive at Iona University. As attorney Jeff Herman
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  Speaker 2: told reporters, publishing the names of abusers protects children going
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  Speaker 2: forward and is long overdue. This protracted battle follows New
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  Speaker 2: York's 2019 Child Victims Act, which temporarily lifted legal deadlines
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  Speaker 2: and allowed survivors to file claims regardless of elapsed time.
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  Speaker 2: Reaching consensus proved agonizing as some survivors initially refused the offer,
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  Speaker 2: while others tragically died waiting for justice. Attorneys warned plaintiffs
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  Speaker 2: that rejecting the settlement risked forcing the archdiocese into bankruptcy,
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  Speaker 2: severely reducing compensation. To fund the payout, the New York
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  Speaker 2: Times reports the Archdiocese slashed its operating budget by 10%,
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  Speaker 2: sought contributions from local parishes, and sold premier real estate assets,
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  Speaker 2: including its Manhattan headquarters and land beneath the historic Palace Hotel.
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  Speaker 2: More crime and justice news after this. Turning to Southern California,
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  Speaker 2: where an alleged drunken driver plowed directly into a crowd
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  Speaker 2: of bicyclists participating in a nighttime Halloween ride. The fatal
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  Speaker 2: collision occurred Saturday night around 1040 at Kingsley Street and
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  Speaker 2: Tudor Avenue in Montclair, according to a statement from the
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  Speaker 2: Montclair Police Department. Investigators report a pack of approximately 30
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  Speaker 2: cyclists was traveling together when a vehicle slammed directly into them.
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  Speaker 2: One rider was pronounced dead at the scene, while two
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  Speaker 2: others were rushed to a hospital, where a second victim died.
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  Speaker 2: A third victim remains hospitalized in serious condition, and a
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  Speaker 2: fourth suffered minor lacerations. Police confirmed the motorist fled immediately
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  Speaker 2: without rendering aid, leaving scattered bicycle parts and vehicle debris
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  Speaker 2: across the roadway. Aided by witness accounts, officers tracked 38-year-old
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  Speaker 2: Montclair resident Valentin Alberto Rodriguez to his nearby home, arresting
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  Speaker 2: him early Sunday morning. Rodriguez was booked into the West
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  Speaker 2: Valley Detention Center on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated,
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  Speaker 2: felony hit-and-run, and driving under the influence. As graphic scene
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  Speaker 2: footage revealed shattered bicycles, a distraught neighbor spoke with KTLA
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  Speaker 2: about the community shock.
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  Speaker 1: Really tragic. There's a lot of family that gathered here.
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  Speaker 1: A lot of anger, a lot of emotions kind of
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  Speaker 1: running wild. We'd never seen anything like this here in
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  Speaker 1: Montclair before.
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  Speaker 2: The neighbor then shared deep heartbreak for the grieving families
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  Speaker 2: left behind.
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  Speaker 1: The family, it's just, I feel so bad for them.
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  Speaker 1: It's really, really, really sad.
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  Speaker 2: Montclair police detectives urge anyone with additional information to contact
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  Speaker 2: their department at 909-621-4771. In Florida, Tallahassee police have arrested
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  Speaker 2: a 15-year-old boy in connection with a mass shooting that
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  Speaker 2: injured 12 people near Florida A & M University's football stadium.
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  Speaker 2: Anthony Rivers III faces 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder
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  Speaker 2: and one count of firearm possession by a delinquent. Gunfire
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  Speaker 2: erupted Saturday just before 8 o'clock near Perry and Manatee Streets,
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  Speaker 2: adjacent to Bragg Memorial Stadium, following the school's homecoming game
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  Speaker 2: against Arkansas Pine Bluff. Authorities state that although a dispute
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  Speaker 2: preceded the gunfire, none of the victims were intended targets.
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  Speaker 2: Police Chief Lawrence Revell condemned the violence before outlining the victims'
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  Speaker 2: injuries during a news briefing.
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  Speaker 3: At least 12 individuals were injured during this incident. 11
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  Speaker 3: of those sustained gunshot wounds. A 12th victim was a
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  Speaker 3: grandmother of one of the victims and injured herself fleeing
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  Speaker 3: from the scene. Six of the victims are adults and
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  Speaker 3: six of the victims are juveniles. We know that our
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  Speaker 3: youngest victim is 11 years old.
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  Speaker 2: In a statement, Florida A & M University extended heartfelt
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  Speaker 2: prayers to all victims and families affected by the tragedy.
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  Speaker 2: Chief Revell affirmed that while this arrest marks a major
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  Speaker 2: step forward, investigators remain fully committed to uncovering answers. At
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  Speaker 2: this hour, local authorities report it is not yet immediately
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  Speaker 2: clear whether Rivers has entered an official plea or retained
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  Speaker 2: private legal counsel for his defense. For more crime and
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  Speaker 2: justice news, be sure to join us for Crime Stories
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  Speaker 2: with Nancy Grace on Fox One, YouTube, Sirius XM, and
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  Speaker 2: now streaming on Tubi. With this crime alert, I'm Sydney Silvani.