Long Island schools paid $38.2M to settle sex-abuse lawsuits, data shows

Thirty-one Long Island school districts have paid a combined $38.2 million to settle 55 lawsuits brought by former students who say teachers, administrators, fellow students and school staffers sexually abused them, Newsday has found.

That number surely will rise as 29 other suits have been settled, but Newsday has yet to receive agreements through Freedom of Information Law requests.

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.

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.