Reparations Program Established in Colorado by Attorney General and Archdioceses

Over the past year, the Attorney General’s Office in Colorado has worked with the State’s three archdioceses to establish a reparations program. This Program is designed to compensate childhood victims of sexual abuse by Colorado’s Catholic priests and representatives.

As part of this reparations program, a former U.S. Attorney, Robert Troyer, conducted an investigation into the available evidence of abuse from 1950 to the present. His investigation, published today, is over 200 pages long. A copy of the report can be downloaded from various sources, including the Colorado Attorney General’s website. Pertinent documents, the report and links are most readily located by clicking the “resources” section of the Attorney General’s website.

The whole claims process is being overseen by the New York attorney, Ken Feinberg, who has managed many other mass claims programs, including those involving breast implants and victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack. A group of experienced former judges and professionals are tasked with “hearing” the claims and determining the appropriate compensation. A January 2020 deadline has been established to file claims.

Fortunately, I was never abused by the religious when I was a young student in a Catholic School on Colorado’s Western Slope. Why am I interested in this reparations program? I am attorney who has long been involved in these kinds of programs, including claims programs for those injured by IUDs, breast implants and childhood vaccines. I have represented people who lost their homes in the Lower North Fork Fire and were required to present claims to the State of Colorado. I also have represented a youngster in the crossfire of the Columbine High School shooting.

In addition, I have represented individuals who were abused by representatives of the Catholic Church (both priests and nuns) as well as by representatives of other faith-based organizations.

In reviewing this preliminary information about this new program, I am trying to answer several questions. A few of these questions follow: Why is there a 3-month deadline (January 2020) for claimants to file their claims, especially when it took a year to investigate this matter by the Program and a lifetime of struggle by the potential claimants? What kind of informed representation will the claimants have? How complete is the evidence made available by the Archdioceses (and then used as the evidentiary benchmark for the validity of a claim)? How can a claimant best access the Program and evaluate the decisions? How much confidence can there be in documents which reveal little recent abuse?

For any interested in the Reparations Program, please see the Attorney General’s website (“resources” section), recent media reports (Denver Post and Colorado Public Radio, in particular) and information provided by the key support groups: SNAP and WINGS FOUNDATION.