Alleged sex abuse victims win settlement in data mishandling case
A federal magistrate judge in Connecticut on Friday gave final approval to a class action settlement providing $50,000 to each of 129 alleged clergy sex abuse victims whose identities were made public during Chapter 11 proceedings for the Catholic Diocese of Norwich.
In February, employees of the diocese’s legal solutions provider Epiq Global publicly listed the alleged victims’ names and addresses in a so-called affidavit of service. Epiq was under a court order requiring the alleged sexual abuse victims’ names to be kept private, according to a motion for final approval of the settlement filed by the plaintiffs’ lawyer Kelly Reardon.
The alleged abuse victims’ information was posted on various platforms, including a case website designed for public viewing, and was not removed for 21 hours, Reardon’s motion said.
Two plaintiffs will receive payments of $75,000 each, according to the motion, making the total award for the victims’ $6.6 million.
Epiq’s lawyer and lawyers for its insurers negotiated and agreed to the settlement.
Epiq did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Suzanne Smalley
is a reporter covering privacy, disinformation and cybersecurity policy for The Record. She was previously a cybersecurity reporter at CyberScoop and Reuters. Earlier in her career Suzanne covered the Boston Police Department for the Boston Globe and two presidential campaign cycles for Newsweek. She lives in Washington with her husband and three children.