October 30, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
In September of 2019, the Diocese of Rochester filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Rochester. At the time of the filing, the petition noted the Diocese had $50-$100 million in assets, with liability estimates totaling $100 to $500 million. The Diocese of Rochester was the first New York diocese to choose Chapter 11 reorganization, however the Dioceses of Syracuse, Buffalo and Rockville Centre have all since filed as well. The Rochester diocese covers 12 upstate New York counties where an estimated 360,000 Catholics live.
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Archdiocese of Baltimore Files for Bankruptcy
March 14, 2024 / by Christina Feeney / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
Just days before the Child Victims Act of 2023 was set to become law in Maryland, the Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for bankruptcy protection . . .
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Deadline for Archdiocese of San Francisco Survivors Approaching Quickly
February 13, 2024 / by Christina Feeney / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
The Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California has set a deadline of February 20, 2024, for sexual abuse survivors to file claims against the Archdiocese of San Francisco . . .
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Ruling Allows Rochester Abuse Survivors to Sue Diocese
June 23, 2022 / by Christina Feeney / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
A ruling by a federal bankruptcy judge will allow clergy sexual abuse survivors to move forward with lawsuits against the Diocese of Rochester.
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New Mexico Diocese Announces $121.5 Million Settlement
May 27, 2022 / by Christina Feeney / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
The Archdiocese of Santa Fe, one of the oldest dioceses in the United States, announced it had reached a settlement agreement with survivors of clergy sexual abuse in order to resolve its bankruptcy protection filing.
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Catholic Church Parishioners Seek Financial Transparency from Dioceses
March 19, 2021 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
A survey done by Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) concludes that only five U.S. dioceses are financially transparent. According to its website, VOTF is “a lay organization of faithful Catholics. . .whose mission is to provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through which the faithful can actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church.”
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Deadline Set for Filing Clergy Abuse Claims Against Diocese of Buffalo
January 25, 2021 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
Chief Judge Carl L. Bucki of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Western District of New York set the bar date for victims with claims of sexual abuse against the Diocese of Buffalo at August 14, 2021. A bar date is the date by which creditors (victims) need to submit proof of a claim. This means that victims have until August 14, 2021 to submit a claim against the Diocese of Buffalo in federal bankruptcy proceedings. The diocese will be required to notify the public of the August 2021 bar date via notices through mailings, publications, and postings.
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New York’s Diocese of Rochester Files for Bankruptcy
October 30, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
In September of 2019, the Diocese of Rochester filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Rochester. At the time of the filing, the petition noted the Diocese had $50-$100 million in assets, with liability estimates totaling $100 to $500 million. The Diocese of Rochester was the first New York diocese to choose Chapter 11 reorganization, however the Dioceses of Syracuse, Buffalo and Rockville Centre have all since filed as well. The Rochester diocese covers 12 upstate New York counties where an estimated 360,000 Catholics live.
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New York’s Rockville Centre Diocese Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
October 22, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
The Rockville Centre Diocese in New York, which covers the Long Island area, and is one of the largest dioceses in the country serving 1.4 million Catholics, has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. The petition was filed on October 1 at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The filing was done to help the diocese manage legal expenses and facilitate settlements with sexual abuse survivors.
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Lawyers Battle to Properly Value Dozens of Buffalo Diocese’s Properties
October 21, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
The Diocese of Buffalo filed for bankruptcy in February of this year in the wake of mounting clergy sexual abuse claims. The diocese opted for bankruptcy protection after seeing no other viable option to continue operating given the potential total future obligations the pending sexual abuse lawsuits could entail. The diocese continues to believe that bankruptcy doesn’t hurt abuse survivors, but only helps them by creating a compensation process that equally divides up funds among all abuse survivors, instead of favoring those who filed first.
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