St. John's appeals insurance denial ruling

The Catholic Register - January 27, 2025

[Note:  Counsel for survivors is supportive of the Archdiocese’s appeal as it will be the survivor-claimants within the Insolvency of the Archdiocese who would benefit if the appeal were to succeed and these policies of insurance were determined to be valid.]

St. John's, Newfoundland - The Archdiocese of St. John’s is attempting to overturn a decision by the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador that released Guardian Insurance from covering part of its settlement with clergy abuse survivors. The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John’s (RCEC) filed an appeal after Justice Peter Brown ruled that the archdiocese failed to disclose instances of clerical sexual abuse when applying for an insurance policy in 1980, which led to the nullification of the policy.

RCEC’s legal team argued that the court made errors in not properly weighing evidence and claimed that sexual abuse was not a significant factor in underwriting insurance policies in the early 1980s. They also contested the claim that the archdiocese made false representations about its knowledge of abuse.

The case involves the abuse by Fr. James Hickey, who was convicted of numerous sexual offenses, and other priests within the archdiocese. Survivors of the abuse have already received compensation, with more plaintiffs recently gaining the right to seek compensation. The archdiocese has raised funds through the sale of property to cover the settlements, but the total amount needed has increased as more claimants come forward.