Keith Srakocic / AP Photo
Pittsburgh clergy abuse compensation fund receives a total of 367 claims
"We're months away from finishing our work for the Diocese."
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Kathleen Davis/WESA
Keith Srakocic / AP Photo
(Pittsburgh) — The firm overseeing the Diocese of Pittsburgh’s fund for victims of clergy sexual abuse says it’s received 367 claims. The deadline to apply was September 30.
Camille Biros is with the D.C.-based Law Offices of Kenneth R. Feinberg. She says the next step is to verify the claims made by the applicants, using corroborating evidence.
“Things like medical notes from therapy sessions,” Biros said. “It could be correspondence or communications with law enforcement, or the Diocese, or relatives.”
Biros said the team has gone through about 50 of the claims so far, and most were verified.
“We don have a large number of claims that were received at or near the deadline,” Biros said. “So we’re months away from finishing our work for the Diocese.”
Payments will be based on factors including the age of the victim at the time of the abuse and the frequency of the abuse. The firm also handled the compensations funds for victims of 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing.
The diocese has said it will fund the payouts largely through the sale of property.
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