• Diocese of Oakland Files for Bankruptcy May 25, 2023 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Earlier this month, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland issued a press release stating that the Diocese of Oakland would be filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The release cites the more than 330 lawsuits filed against the diocese alleging clergy sexual abuse as the reason for the bankruptcy. The… click to read more
• Judge Recuses Himself from Overseeing New Orleans Archdiocese Bankruptcy Proceedings May 23, 2023 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse In May of 2020, the Archdiocese of New Orleans filed for bankruptcy protection after 400-plus clergy sexual abuse lawsuits were filed against it. The sheer number of lawsuits is staggering ... click to read more
• Redacted Names Lead to Frustration with Baltimore Archdiocese May 11, 2023 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse, Default Category The Maryland Attorney General’s Office released its long-awaited report into clergy sexual abuse of children within the Archdiocese of Baltimore in early April. The report details 80 years of clergy sexual abuse of more than 600 children within the archdiocese. It also describes the archdiocese’s knowledge concerning clergy abuse and… click to read more
• Attorney General Report Shows Prosecutors Allowed Church to Hide Abusive Clergy May 10, 2023 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Father William Q. Simms was one of many clergy members named as an abuser in the Maryland Attorney General’s report on child sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Unfortunately, the story of how Simms continued to have access to children, even after several allegations of sexual abuse, is not… click to read more
• Hadden Survivors Reached $235 Million Settlement with Hospitals; Still Time for Others May 10, 2023 Sexual Abuse & Assault Lawsuits In 2022, both Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital reached a combined $165 million settlement with almost 150 women who were sexually abused by former OBGYN Robert Hadden. This agreement follows a $71.5 million combined settlement in 2021 between the hospitals and 79 of Hadden's survivors. A… click to read more
• Lawsuit accuses San Diego Diocese of Fraudulently Transferring Assets April 27, 2023 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse A lawsuit was filed against the Diocese of San Diego less than two weeks after the diocese said it was contemplating filing for bankruptcy protection. The suit accuses the diocese of fraudulently transferring assets in order to avoid paying large settlements to survivors of clergy sexual abuse. In 2019, California… click to read more
• San Diego Diocese Considering Bankruptcy, Church Blames Clergy Sex Abuse Claims April 13, 2023 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego recently stated it may choose to file for bankruptcy in the coming months; blaming the number of clergy sexual abuse cases filed against it. A letter from Bishop Robert McElroy to parishioners said the “staggering” legal costs of dealing with roughly 400 clergy… click to read more
• Former OBGYN Robert Hadden Served No Jail Time Despite Guilty Plea in 2016 April 12, 2023 Sexual Abuse & Assault Lawsuits In 2015, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office prosecuted Robert Hadden, an OBGYN accused of sexually abusing several patients. One woman told prosecutors she was 30-weeks pregnant when Hadden assaulted her. According to court records, the District Attorney’s Office had 18 other women willing to testify they suffered similar assaults at… click to read more
• Disgraced OBGYN Robert Hadden Convicted, Civil Remedy for Victims Still Possible April 12, 2023 Sexual Abuse & Assault Lawsuits In late January of this year, a jury took less than a day to convict former Columbia University OBGYN Robert Hadden of federal sex trafficking charges. Hadden’s two-week criminal trial included testimony from nine former patients who described how the former OBGYN sexually abused them during appointments. Prosecutors said federal… click to read more
• Victims of former OBGYN, Robert Hadden, Can Still Have Their Day in Court March 30, 2023 Sexual Abuse & Assault Lawsuits In January of this year, several ex-patients testified at former Columbia University OBGYN Robert Hadden’s criminal trial where he was charged with persuading women to cross state lines for the purpose of sexually abusing them. Their stories of abuse span a 20-year period and include both adults and minors. The… click to read more
• Maryland Senate Passes Legislation that would remove SOL for Child Abuse Victims March 28, 2023 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse The Child Victims Act of 2023 (also known as House Bill 1) overwhelmingly passed in the Maryland Senate by a 42-5 margin. The bill, which had been gaining momentum since the new year, would eliminate the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse. It would also be enacted retroactively, which… click to read more
• Worcester Diocese Declines to Name Abusive Priests in Report February 10, 2023 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse The Diocese of Worcester recently released a new report about clergy sexual abuse of minors between 1950 and 2022. However, that report failed to include the names of the priests . . . click to read more
• Maine Diocese Challenges Law Removing Statue of Limitations February 2, 2023 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse The Diocese of Portland is challenging the constitutionality of the new law and trying to get the lawsuits dismissed . . . click to read more
• Bill Seeking to Remove Statute of Limitations is Gaining Momentum in Maryland January 26, 2023 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Maryland clergy sex abuse survivors are hoping for justice with new legislation on the horizon . . . click to read more
• Revival Window Bill Moving Through State Senate in Pennsylvania January 25, 2023 Sexual Abuse & Assault Lawsuits New House Speaker Mark Rozzi recently vowed that no other legislation would be taken up until the Senate approved a constitutional amendment allowing child sex abuse victims to file claims . . . click to read more