Long Island schools paid $31.6M to settle sex-abuse lawsuits, data shows

Twenty-seven Long Island school districts have paid a combined $31.6 million to settle 42 lawsuits brought by former students who say teachers, administrators, fellow students and school staffers sexually abused them, Newsday has found.

The former students brought the cases under the Child Victims Act, state legislation allowing child sexual abuse victims a temporary window to file lawsuits for damages. Before the law, alleged victims couldn't file claims after age 23. The window to file Child Victims Act claims closed in 2021.

The chart below details each settlement, including the payout and the allegations. The school district's financial responsibility is its payout after any insurance money. In most instances when an insurance company covered the payout, Newsday did not reach out to the school district for comment.

Trials in two Child Victims Act lawsuits against the Herricks school district began this week. More than 100 similar lawsuits are ongoing. Read more about the Child Victims Act here.

By Jim Baumbach

jim.baumbach@newsday.com

Jim Baumbach is an award-winning investigative reporter at Newsday, where he has worked since 1998. He spent two decades in the sports department, where he covered every professional team and league, including events such as the Super Bowl and World Series.