Long Island schools paid $170 million to settle sex-abuse lawsuits, data shows

Forty Long Island school districts have paid $170 million to settle 121 lawsuits brought by former students who say the districts failed to protect them from alleged sexual abuse suffered as children decades ago, according to a Newsday analysis.

Separately, a jury awarded $25 million to a former Bay Shore student following a trial in Suffolk County Supreme Court in October. After the district appealed the verdict, a Suffolk County judge in March ordered a retrial unless both sides agree to a reduced amount, suggesting $4 million.

The Child Victims Act is a state law that temporarily permitted victims of childhood sex abuse to file lawsuits regardless of when the abuse was alleged to have occurred. The window to file suits ended in 2021. Before the law, victims could not file claims once they reached 23 years old.

The chart below details each settlement, including the payout and the allegations. The districts did not admit any liability in the settlements.

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.