Coleman Legal LLP secures a six-figure settlement in a school sexual abuse claim

A six-figure settlement was reached in a school sexual abuse claim in Ireland brought on behalf of a person who was sexually abused as a child while a pupil at a secondary school. The claim was brought against the religious institution responsible for the school and was resolved in June 2026 with a partial admission of liability. The settlement amount is confidential.

Our client

Our client was fifteen years old at the time of the abuse and was attending secondary school. They were a pupil in a school run by a religious institution, in a setting where they and their family had every reason to believe they would be kept safe.

What happened

Our client was sexually abused as a child while a pupil at the secondary school. The abuse was carried out in the school setting, for which the religious institution was responsible.

The effects were lasting. Our client suffered psychological harm as a result of the abuse, and the consequences also extended to their financial position and their working life. The claim was brought to address both the psychological injury and the financial loss.

How the claim was investigated

Philip Treacy brought the claim against the religious institution on the basis of its responsibility for what happened to a child in its school. Civil claims of this kind are pursued directly through the courts rather than through the Injuries Resolution Board, because they arise from assault and trespass to the person rather than from an ordinary personal injuries action.

Two independent experts were instructed. A doctor was engaged to set out the nature and extent of the psychological harm our client had suffered. A vocational assessor was instructed to assess how the abuse had affected our client’s working life and earning capacity, which allowed the financial consequences to be presented as part of the claim rather than treated as separate from it.

The outcome

The school sexual abuse claim was resolved in June 2026 by way of a six-figure settlement, with a partial admission of liability by the religious institution. The settlement amount is confidential and is not published. The settlement brought the proceedings to a conclusion without our client having to give evidence at a contested hearing.

How Coleman Legal helped

Philip Treacy handled this case from the first consultation through to settlement. He gathered the evidence needed to establish what had happened, instructed the doctor and vocational assessor whose reports set out both the psychological and the financial consequences, and dealt with the religious institution on our client’s behalf so that our client did not have to. He kept our client informed at each stage and explained the options available before any decision was taken.