Long Island schools paid $153 million after sex-abuse lawsuits, data shows
Thirty-five Long Island school districts have paid a combined $153.4 million to 99 former students who allege in lawsuits that teachers, administrators, fellow students and school staffers sexually abused them, Newsday has found.
The total spending by districts includes $128.4 million to settle 98 cases in addition to a $25 million award by a jury to a former Bay Shore student following a trial last month in Suffolk County Supreme Court.
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. Read more about the Child Victims Act here.
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.
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