Insurance Funding for Buffalo Catholic Diocese Sex Abuse Survivors Exceeds $160 Million

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BUFFALO, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 5, 2026--

The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo is nearing completion of settling claims for more than 900 survivors of sexual abuse by diocesan priests and other leaders in cases dating back decades.

As currently projected, the financial settlement for victims is approaching $315 million, with a significant portion of that funding – nearly $165 million – being supplied by insurers of the diocese.

Key to the process has been the involvement of the Burns Bair law firm, whose attorneys are nationally recognized for successfully negotiating settlements with insurance providers in the ongoing series of abuse-related diocesan bankruptcies across the nation. That work currently includes negotiations on behalf of those bringing claims against the Archdioceses of Baltimore and San Francisco, the Catholic Dioceses of Albany and Syracuse, New York, as well as those in Oakland, Sacramento, and Santa Rosa, California.

“We’re pleased with the outcomes we’ve achieved for those survivors in the Buffalo bankruptcy who have suffered in silence for so long,” said Tim Burns, partner at Wisconsin-based Burns Bair.

The insurers for the diocese include the Selective Insurance Company of New York, The Continental Insurance Company, Employers Insurance Company of Wausau, Nationwide Insurance Company of America, Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company and Hartford Fire Insurance Company, First State Insurance Company, National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. Fire Insurance Company, Pacific Employers Insurance Company, Aetna Insurance Company, Century Indemnity, and Federal Insurance Company, among others.

About Burns Bair LLP

Burns Bair is a national law firm that partners with the plaintiffs’ bar and bankruptcy trustees to obtain insurance recoveries for sexual abuse survivors and financial fraud and tort victims.

View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260205778399/en/

CONTACT: Media Contact:

Barry Pound

800-559-4534

[email protected]

KEYWORD: NEW YORK UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LEGAL

SOURCE: Burns Bair LLP

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PUB: 02/05/2026 03:19 PM/DISC: 02/05/2026 03:19 PM

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