Indianapolis Archdiocese Sued Over Liability Insurance Response

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An insurance company is suing the Indianapolis archdiocese, alleging that it failed to disclose allegations of child sexual abuse by a Catholic priest when it applied for liability insurance.

Underwriters for Lloyd’s of London contends in a federal lawsuit filed Monday that when the archdiocese applied for excess sexual misconduct liability insurance in June 2019, it failed to disclose abuse allegations against Rev. David J. Marcotte reported months before its application was filed.

The lawsuit asks a judge to rescind the insurance policy and render it void, The Indianapolis Star reported.

Marcotte was arrested in October 2019 on charges that he sexually abused a child 2017 and 2018. Archdiocese officials previously said it learned of the allegations in early February 2019, at which time they suspended the priest.

The lawsuit states that the child’s father notified an archdiocese victim assistance coordinator on Feb. 13, 2019, that he intended to sue. Months later, the Archdiocese applied for the insurance policy.

As part of its insurance application, the archdiocese was asked whether it was aware of any “facts, circumstances, or allegations that may result in claims being made against you.”

The archdiocese answered “no," according to the suit.

The underwriters say that answer was untruthful in light of the allegations against Marcotte, and the policy should therefore be voided.

Archdiocese spokesperson Mike Krokos said in an email that the archdiocese hasn't been served with the lawsuit. “Therefore, we cannot respond until we have the opportunity to thoroughly examine the lawsuit,” he said.