On behalf of Plaintiff “A.L.”, Thomas Counselors at Law (TLC) and Edwards Henderson filed a letter to the New York State Supreme Court today refusing to allow their client to be silenced and robbed of their day in court by the Archdiocese of New York.
Erin Peake, partner at TLC, filed a letter to the Court after Mr. “A.L.’s” trial was cancelled because of “global settlement discussions” that he and his attorneys were not aware of and had no say in.
Ms. Peake writes:
“In late April 2026, A.L. learned—for the first time, and without any coordination with him or the undersigned—of a private settlement program that a group of plaintiffs’ counsel had established with counsel for the Archdiocese. The undersigned had no role whatsoever in creating that program or in negotiating any of its terms or logistics.
When A.L. was asked to participate, he considered it carefully, with the advice of his counsel, and confidently declined. The program does not deliver what A.L. needs: a jury’s verdict and genuine public accountability, secured through his constitutionally protected right to a trial.
In A.L.’s view, the program does the opposite—it conceals the Church’s wrongdoing and shields it from the public scrutiny it deserves.”
A.L. is seeking to have his trial date reset so that he can hold the Church accountable for allowing his abuser to continue to groom and sexually assault young altar boys for decades.
The letter was publicly filed today in New York Supreme Court and can be found here.