Hon. Loretta A. Preska, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and a 1973 alumna of Fordham Law, has been appointed to the Independent Oversight Committee of the Archdiocese of New York’s Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program.
Established for the purpose of providing financial compensation to victims of clergy sexual abuse, the IRCP was inaugurated on October 6 by Archbishop of New York Timothy Cardinal Dolan. “This program will, please God, continue to help bring a measure of peace to those who have suffered abuse by a member of the clergy of the archdiocese,” Archbishop Dolan wrote in a message earlier this month.
Judge Preska, along with former Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Jeanette Cueva, M.D., will oversee the implementation of the IRCP’s mandate.
In his announcement, Archbishop Dolan said that he hoped this effort by the Church would help reconcile the grievances of victims of clergy sexual abuse. The Church plans to supply the victims’ compensation fund via a long-term loan. If victims have outstanding allegations against a member of the archdiocese, Archbishop Dolan encourages them to either reach out to the district attorney’s office, or to contact the victim assistance coordinator of the archdiocese at victimsassistance@archny.org.
Judge Preska was appointed a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York in 1992. She has served as chief judge since 2009. She received a B.A. from the College of St. Rose in Albany, in 1970, a J.D. from Fordham Law in 1973, and an LL.M. in trade regulation from New York University School of Law in 1978.
