YU allegedly did not tell AIG about alleged child sexual abuse at its
affiliated Manhattan all-boys high school as YU became aware of it. In
fact, YU allegedly continued to hide this alleged abuse from AIG even
after the bombshell $380 million lawsuit was filed against it by alleged
abuse victims earlier this year – and settlements with some (or even all) of the alleged victims may not be covered by AIG as a result.
Yeshiva University Withheld Information On Alleged Child Sex Abuse From Insurer; Settlements May Not Be Covered
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Insurance giant AIG covered the Modern Orthodox flagship Yeshiva University (YU) during the years of the YU affiliated all-boys high school’s child sex abuse scandal for issues that included damages to students from sexual abuse by its faculty. Coverage limits varied from $1 million to $9 million per year, according a letter from AIG to YU obtained by the New York Daily News.
But that letter contains more than basic policy information – it contains a bombshell.
YU allegedly did not tell AIG about alleged child sexual abuse at its affiliated Manhattan all-boys high school as YU became aware of it. In fact, YU allegedly continued to hide this alleged abuse from AIG even after the bombshell $380 million lawsuit was filed against it by alleged abuse victims earlier this year.
AIG found out about the alleged abuse – it was widely reported in New York City media – but YU allegedly continued to remain silent and continued to withhold information about the abuse from AIG, which specifically asked YU for the information in June but has still not received it, the Daily news reported today.
The AIG letter to a YU attorney, dated August 13, 2013, reportedly also says that AIG won’t cover YU for potential settlements with many of the alleged victims because of YU’s silence.
“According to the complaint, it now appears that members of the administration of YUHS were specifically aware of abuse involving Mordechai Twersky and [John] Does One, Two, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen and Sixteen but failed to provide timely notice.…[YU has] not yet responded to the questions propounded in our prior letters,” AIG reportedly wrote to justify its decision to withhold any coverage of potential YU settlements with those victims until YU answers AIG’s questions and provides AIG with the information it has repeatedly asked for.
“Yeshiva University’s conduct since the public revelations of its multi-decade sex-abuse coverup has been extremely dishonest and morally bankrupt. Yeshiva University seems to be operating from a twisted premise that if it sweeps its own craven and unconscionable conduct under the rug long enough and hard enough it will escape all accountability,” an attorney for the alleged victims, Kevin Mulhearn reportedly said, adding that YU should have given AIG the information so it could reach settlements with the victims. Instead, the men are forced to go to trial to get justice.