SCHENECTADY, NY (WRGB)- Jury selection is set to begin in Schenectady for the trial involving the former St. Clare’s Hospital. This follows an $8 million settlement over child sex abuse claims and the resignation of Bishop Edward Scharfenberger.
The state’s case against the diocese now includes a lawsuit brought by 175 former St. Clare’s Hospital employees. The New York Attorney General’s Office sued in 2022, alleging the diocese failed to administer benefits to former employees by intentionally removing the retirement plan from federal protections.
In April, the New York Supreme Court heard arguments from former employees who claim they were denied their pensions, affecting about 1,100 pensioners.
Martha Paraszczak, a former St. Clare’s employee, expressed her emotions, saying, “I’m thinking of all the people who have been affected by this. I find it emotional sitting in there—just thinking how long we’ve waited, and how many people this has hurt.”
Both the diocese and the widow of former Albany Bishop Howard Hubbard have requested that no evidence from cases related to the Child Victims Act or those involving the late bishop be introduced in this trial. The state argues that such evidence would provide context to the diocese’s financial conditions, while the diocese’s attorneys contend that their financial status is not relevant to the case.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on November 3rd in Schenectady County Court.