Six Catholic Sex Abuse Lawsuits Against Buffalo Diocese Proceed to Trial
Six women alleging sexual abuse by a male Immaculata Academy math teacher in the 1980s may be some of the first to get their day in court. The trial would be a rarity as the bulk of lawsuits against the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo will likely never see the inside of a courtroom.
Hundreds of lawsuits filed by more than 900 survivors under New York’s Child Victims Act alleging child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy or Buffalo Diocese parish, school, and other related employees are being addressed through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process. If the proposed $326 million settlement is accepted by the bankruptcy court, those cases will never reach trial, nor involve discovery or depositions regarding the alleged abuse.
However, six lawsuits involving other Catholic institutions, largely religious orders of priests and nuns, not included in the bankruptcy case, are moving through state courts. One case against Immaculata and the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph is nearing trial.
In it, an East Aurora woman alleges being groped by Immaculata Academy math teacher and former Blasdell mayor, Michael McGuire, on multiple occasions in the early 1980s. McGuire denies the allegations. The trial is tentatively scheduled for September 17, though it is expected to be pushed back or settled before trial.
The other five lawsuits allege that the Franciscan Sisters who operated the school for over eight decades until its closing in 2016 failed to protect students from McGuire’s alleged abuse.
Dan Chiacchia, Esq. of Dan Chiacchia Injury Attorneys represents the six women bringing these cases, along with dozens of survivors included in the Diocese bankruptcy, which encompassed six years of bankruptcy proceedings, mediation sessions, court hearings, and negotiations before the proposed settlement was reached.
Dan Chiacchia Injury Attorneys is a premier personal injury law firm serving Western New York. Call 716-648-3030 or contact us online to schedule a free case review. Located in Hamburg, New York, we proudly serve clients throughout the surrounding areas.
