corporate restructuring

The bankruptcy firm that represents the Diocese of Norwich on Thursday published the names and addresses of 142 clergy sexual assault victims in a federal court document that was publicly available online.

The document filing by Epiq Corporate Restructuring of New York City means that the names were available for about 21 hours even though all but one of the victims had been assured their names would not be released and the federal bankruptcy judge handling the case had ordered they remain anonymous.

The 142 people allege they were sexually assaulted by priests and other members of diocese and are seeking compensation in the diocese’s ongoing bankruptcy proceeding.

“This is just a horrible, horrible thing,’ said New London attorney Kelly Reardon, who represents 25 of the victims. ”These people had already been victimized. They don’t need their names published now. Someone is going to have to be held accountable for this.“

Reardon said that for many victims, few people know they were sexually assaulted.

“In many instance my clients have never told anyone but me,” she said.

Marci Hamilton, the CEO of Child USA and a University of Pennsylvania professor who studies the clergy abuse issue, has testified before a General Assembly study committee that people sexually assaulted by priests do not tell anyone what happened to them until age 52, on average.

On Friday night lead diocesan bankruoptcy attorney Louis DeLucia issued the following statement.

“In association with the bankruptcy filings, earlier today we learned of a clerical error on the part of Epiq Corporate Restructuring, which resulted in the names of some abuse survivors being published. The Diocese, in collaboration with the Committee representing the Diocese’s creditors, including abuse survivors, promptly filed a motion with the Bankruptcy Court to remove the names that were published in error, and