Selby added that the church continues to seek “full recovery” from “the other parties that were participants in this scheme to defraud the church.”
Early in the litigation, the plaintiffs said some $88.4 million was lost from the retirement funds. The AME Church said the situation was the result of embezzlement by the Rev. Jerome V. Harris, who resigned in 2021 after 21 years as head of the denomination’s Department of Retirement Services. He died in May 2024, of a heart attack.
Symetra Life Insurance Co. and his estate are among additional defendants in the case.
On Tuesday, Selby said, “We are going after the estate of Dr. Harris with full force, and our expectation is that if there are any funds there that we would secure them.” Retirement plan participants could then recoup more of the lost funds if the court decides in their favor.
The judge, who has presided over the case for three years, wrote a 30-page order about its complexity. He said it has produced more than 1.5 million documents and numerous claims, counterclaims, cross-claims and third-party claims.
“Perhaps, most important, the money obtained from the settlements will allow the plan participants to begin receiving increased retirement benefits sooner rather than later,” he said.
Anderson noted that the court received just two objections and no opt-out requests to the settlement. He acknowledged the concerns of two Florida ministers, including the Rev. Charles Larkin Scott Sr. of Royal Palm Beach, who objected to the amount in legal fees for attorneys, but determined they lacked merit.
“The Plan participants relied on the promise of full pension benefits when they retired as outlined in The Book of Discipline and have been confronted with a broken promise just when they most need those benefits,” Anderson wrote, referring to the rule book of the AME Church. “The Court agrees with Reverend Scott’s statement that the Plan participants have done nothing wrong and has made its decision based on considerations of how best to help those who have been injured.”
Lawyers for the church and the plan participants said if those two ministers do not appeal within 30 days of Anderson’s order, a settlement administrator will transfer funds to a trust from which eligible plan members or their beneficiaries can receive financial distributions.
AARP Foundation, which has been part of the team of attorneys working on the litigation, also welcomed the judge’s approval.
 Church retirement plan participants could recoup more lost funds in further legal proceedings.){kind=link}