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Insurers will pay out extra $30 million in Winona-Rochester Diocese abuse settlement

September 4, 2026 · 1 min read

Insurers for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, will pay an additional $30 million to clergy-abuse victims there, with the payout coming several years after the diocese itself already settled with victims for another multimillion-dollar sum.

The settlement was announced on Sept. 3 by the law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates. The law firm, which represents abuse victims around the country, said the settlement will apply to more than 145 survivors.

The Winona-Rochester Diocese filed for bankruptcy in November 2018 and settled with abuse victims there in 2021 for $28 million. The law firm said that settlement included contributions from two diocesan insurers — LMI and Interstate — but did not include a payout from the diocese’s largest insurance company, U.S. Fire.

A lawsuit against the insurer had been working through the courts, the Anderson law firm said, with the trial set to begin on Sept. 28 before the insurance company announced the settlement.

The Winona-Rochester Diocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Attorney Jeff Anderson, meanwhile, said in his law firm’s press release that the settlement “forges a new path forward to combat…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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მაია ლომიძე

Still, it's good that those 145-plus people will receive an additional 30 million U.S. From Fire, who has been repulsed for years. But after the bankruptcy in 2018, such large sums still do not bring back the pain received in childhood.

Nicholas Turner

It's good the 145 survivors are finally getting that extra $30 million from U.S. Fire after they dragged it out so long. Still, like მაია ლომიძე said, no amount of cash undoes what happened as kids. The diocese going bankrupt in 2018 must have made the whole fight even messier.

Paul Davis

Yeah, dragging it through the courts for years after the 2018 bankruptcy sounds exhausting for everyone involved. The $30 million from U.S. Fire helps the 145 survivors at least cover some practical needs down the road. Do you think the diocese's youth programs have changed much since then to actually prevent this stuff?