Settlements and bankruptcies in Catholic sex abuse cases
Encyclopedia
Settlements and bankruptcies in Catholic sex abuse cases have affected several American dioceses, whose compensation payments have totaled in the billions of dollars
(Oregon) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
on July 6, 2004, hours before two abuse trials were set to begin, becoming the first Roman Catholic diocese to file for bankruptcy. If granted, bankruptcy would mean pending and future lawsuits would be settled in federal bankruptcy court. The archdiocese had settled more than a hundred previous claims for a sum of over $53 million. The filing seeks to protect parish assets, school money and trust funds from abuse victims; the archdiocese's contention is that parish assets are not the archdiocese's assets. Plaintiffs in the cases against the archdiocese have argued that the Catholic Church is a single entity, and that the Vatican
should be liable for any damages awarded in judgment of pending sexual abuse cases.
filed for bankruptcy in September 2004. The diocese reached an agreement with its victims, which the bankruptcy judge approved June 11, 2005, specifying terms that included allowing the diocese reorganization to continue in return for a $22.2 million settlement.
, Washington agreed to pay at least $48 million as compensation to those abused by priests as part of its bankruptcy filing. This payout has to be agreed upon by victims and another judge.
filed for Chapter 11 protection. The decision to file for bankruptcy was driven by many claims which focused on Bishop Lawrence Soens
, who had been accused of fondling as many as 15 students during his tenure as priest and principal at Regina Catholic High School
in Iowa City during the 1960s. Soens denies the allegations. A judge discharged one suit in October 2006.
filed for Chapter 11 protection, hours before the first of about 150 lawsuits was due to be heard. San Diego became the largest diocese to postpone its legal problems in this way.
filed for bankruptcy after 130 civil suits filed by Alaska natives who claim to be abused by priests, and other church employees, beginning in the 1950s.
filed for bankruptcy as the first of some eight lawsuits (of more than 100 potential) was scheduled to go to trial the next day.
announced that it would be filing for bankruptcy. The church was facing more than 23 lawsuits, and attempts to reach a mediated settlement with victims failed in December 2010. This came two days before the bishop was scheduled to be deposed about these cases, and after the church had refused to release the names or personnel records of the priests accused. The opposing attorney said that the bankruptcy filing was an attempt to delay turning over church records on the cases.
The Milwaukee archdiocese has already paid out over $29 million to settle 200 cases over the last 20 years. They said that these additional cases would cause hefty legal fees that the archdiocese could not afford. The archdiocese has assets of about $98.4 million, but $90 million of that is restricted for specific uses.
Estimates by Donald Cozzens
According to Donald Cozzens, "by the end of the mid 1990s, it was estimated that ...more than half a billion dollars had been paid in jury awards, settlements and legal fees." This figure grew to about one billion dollars by 2002. Roman Catholics spent $615 million on sex abuse cases in 2007.Payments to victims
| Date | Diocese | Charges made against | Amount | # of Victims | Comments | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994, May | Lincoln, NE Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln is a Roman Catholic diocese in Nebraska, and comprises the majority of the eastern and central portions of the state south of the Platte River. The episcopal see is in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was established on August 2, 1887, by Pope Leo XIII... |
$40,000 | 1 | Rob Butler, FKA Adam Butler claimed he was abused weekly for two years | ||
| 1997 | Dallas Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas is a Roman Catholic diocese in Texas. It was founded on July 15, 1890 by Pope Leo XIII. The diocese's cathedral is the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe.... , TX |
$31 million | ||||
| 2003, Jun | Louisville Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville consists of twenty-four counties in Central Kentucky, USA, covering . It is the seat of the Metropolitan Province of Louisville, which comprises the states of Kentucky and Tennessee... , KY |
$25.7 million | 240 | |||
| 2003, Sep | Boston Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. It comprises several counties of the state of Massachusetts... , MA |
$85 million | 552 | |||
| 2004, Jul 6 | Portland Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It encompasses the western part of the state of Oregon, from the summit of the Cascades to the Pacific Ocean... , OR |
$53 million | 100 (over) | Filed for bankruptcy, Chapter 11 hours before two abuse trials were set to begin | ||
| 2004, Sep | Tucson Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southwestern region of the United States. It comprises nine counties of the state of Arizona, making it the fifth largest diocese in the continental United States in terms of area... , AZ |
$22.2 million | Filed for bankruptcy, after reaching an agreement with its victims | |||
| 2004, Dec | Spokane Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane The Diocese of Spokane is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of Washington. Headquartered in Spokane, the diocese encompasses Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Adams, Whitman, Franklin, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin Counties... , WA |
$48 million (at least) | Filed for bankruptcy, payment was a part (has to be approved by judge and victims) | |||
| 2005, Jan 3 | Orange Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church whose territory comprises the whole of Orange County, California, in the United States... , CA |
30 priests, 2 nuns, 11 other | $100 million | 87 | In 1997, Bishop Tod Brown himself was accused of having sexually abused a 12-year-old boy in 1965 as pastor in Bakersfield Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively.... . Church officials dismissed the claims and he denied the allegation. Eleuterio Ramos 11 cases, Siegfried Widera, who later suicided, 9 cases, 25 case uninvolved |
|
| 2006, Oct 10 | Davenport Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport is a diocese of the Catholic Church for the southeastern quarter of the state of Iowa. There are within the diocese... , IA |
Lawrence Soens Lawrence Donald Soens Lawrence Donald Soens is a bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as Bishop of Sioux City in the state of Iowa from 1983 to 1998.-Early life & Ministry:... |
15 | Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, alleged victims were 15 students from 1960s who accused Bishop Soens who denied the accusations. | ||
| 2006, Dec | Phoenix Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix -History:The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix in Arizona is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It was established on December 2, 1969 when it was split off of the Diocese of Tucson... , AZ |
$100,000 | 1 | William Cesolini | ||
| 2006, Dec | Los Angeles Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the... , CA |
priests | $60 million | 45 | Cardinal Roger Mahony, 45 of the over 500 pending cases | |
| 2007 | Los Angeles Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the... , CA |
Father Mark Falvey | $16 million | 9 | ordered to pay | |
| 2007, Jan 15 | Charleston Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States and comprises the entire state of South Carolina, with Charleston as its see city. Currently, the diocese consists of 92 parishes and 24 missions... , SC |
priests | $12 million | many | Bishop Robert J. Baker Robert Joseph Baker Robert J. Baker is an American Roman Catholic prelate who serves as the Bishop of the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama. He was appointed to this post by Pope Benedict XVI on August 14, 2007 and installed on October 2, 2007... agreed to pay |
|
| 2007, Jul 16 | Los Angeles Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the... , CA |
$660 million (£324m) | 508 (over) | Archbishop Roger Mahony and the Los Angeles diocese apologized for abuses by priests describing them as "terrible sin Sin In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation... and crime", after settling with over 508 alleged victims |
||
| 2007, Jan | Charleston Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States and comprises the entire state of South Carolina, with Charleston as its see city. Currently, the diocese consists of 92 parishes and 24 missions... , SC |
$12 million | ||||
| 2007, Feb 27 | San Diego Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the western region of the United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of San Diego and Imperial Counties in Southern California, with a Catholic population of 1,981,057... , CA |
Robert Brom | $198.1 million | 144 | Filed for Chapter 11 protection, hours before the first of about 150 lawsuits about childhood abuse was due to be heard — it became the largest diocese to seek bankruptcy protection. | |
| 2008, Mar 7 | Fairbanks Roman Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northwestern United States, comprising the northern regions of the state of Alaska. It is led by a prelate bishop which serves as pastor of the mother church, Cathedral of the... , AK |
130 | Filed for bankruptcy due to monetary concerns over 130 lawsuits made by Alaska natives claiming to have been abused by priests, and other church employees | |||
| 2008, May 29 | Sacramento Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento is an ecclesiastical territory or particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States... , CA |
Frs. Arthur & Mark Falvey | $100,000 | 1 | Diocese of Sacramento paid $100,000 to William Green who alleged he was raped and molested from age 7-11 at St Ignatius Parish, by identical twin brother priests Fr. Arthur Falvey of Sacramento, and Fr. Mark Falvey of Los Angeles | |
| 2009, Feb | Memphis Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis The Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis is a Roman Catholic diocese in Tennessee. It was founded on June 20, 1970, when Pope Paul VI removed the counties in the state west of the Tennessee River from the Diocese of Nashville, which, prior to that time, encompassed the entire state.The diocese is... , TN |
Fr Juan Carlos Duran | $2 million | 1 | Fr. Duran had previous sexual history with minors in St. Louis, Panama and Bolivia | |
| 2009, Oct | Savannah Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah The Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States comprising the southern counties of the state of Georgia... , GA |
Wayland Brown | $4.24 million | 1 | 2nd largest individual sum paid | |
| Total | $1.269 billion | (over) 1,835 |
Portland
Citing monetary concerns arising from impending trials on sex abuse claims, the Archdiocese of PortlandRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland
The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It encompasses the western part of the state of Oregon, from the summit of the Cascades to the Pacific Ocean...
(Oregon) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
on July 6, 2004, hours before two abuse trials were set to begin, becoming the first Roman Catholic diocese to file for bankruptcy. If granted, bankruptcy would mean pending and future lawsuits would be settled in federal bankruptcy court. The archdiocese had settled more than a hundred previous claims for a sum of over $53 million. The filing seeks to protect parish assets, school money and trust funds from abuse victims; the archdiocese's contention is that parish assets are not the archdiocese's assets. Plaintiffs in the cases against the archdiocese have argued that the Catholic Church is a single entity, and that the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
should be liable for any damages awarded in judgment of pending sexual abuse cases.
Tucson
The Diocese of TucsonRoman Catholic Diocese of Tucson
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southwestern region of the United States. It comprises nine counties of the state of Arizona, making it the fifth largest diocese in the continental United States in terms of area...
filed for bankruptcy in September 2004. The diocese reached an agreement with its victims, which the bankruptcy judge approved June 11, 2005, specifying terms that included allowing the diocese reorganization to continue in return for a $22.2 million settlement.
Spokane
In December 2004, the Diocese of SpokaneRoman Catholic Diocese of Spokane
The Diocese of Spokane is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of Washington. Headquartered in Spokane, the diocese encompasses Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Adams, Whitman, Franklin, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin Counties...
, Washington agreed to pay at least $48 million as compensation to those abused by priests as part of its bankruptcy filing. This payout has to be agreed upon by victims and another judge.
Davenport
On October 10, 2006, the Diocese of DavenportRoman Catholic Diocese of Davenport
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport is a diocese of the Catholic Church for the southeastern quarter of the state of Iowa. There are within the diocese...
filed for Chapter 11 protection. The decision to file for bankruptcy was driven by many claims which focused on Bishop Lawrence Soens
Lawrence Donald Soens
Lawrence Donald Soens is a bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as Bishop of Sioux City in the state of Iowa from 1983 to 1998.-Early life & Ministry:...
, who had been accused of fondling as many as 15 students during his tenure as priest and principal at Regina Catholic High School
Regina High School (Iowa)
Regina High School is the only Catholic K-12 Education Center in Iowa City, Iowa. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. It currently houses 450+ in the elementary, and 400+ in the Junior/Senior High School...
in Iowa City during the 1960s. Soens denies the allegations. A judge discharged one suit in October 2006.
San Diego
On February 27, 2007, the Diocese of San DiegoRoman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the western region of the United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of San Diego and Imperial Counties in Southern California, with a Catholic population of 1,981,057...
filed for Chapter 11 protection, hours before the first of about 150 lawsuits was due to be heard. San Diego became the largest diocese to postpone its legal problems in this way.
Fairbanks
On March 7, 2008, the Diocese of FairbanksRoman Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northwestern United States, comprising the northern regions of the state of Alaska. It is led by a prelate bishop which serves as pastor of the mother church, Cathedral of the...
filed for bankruptcy after 130 civil suits filed by Alaska natives who claim to be abused by priests, and other church employees, beginning in the 1950s.
Wilmington
On October 18, 2009, the Diocese of WilmingtonRoman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington
-External links:**...
filed for bankruptcy as the first of some eight lawsuits (of more than 100 potential) was scheduled to go to trial the next day.
Milwaukee
On January 4, 2011, the Archdiocese of MilwaukeeRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is a Roman Catholic archdiocese headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States. It encompasses the City of Milwaukee, as well as the counties of Dodge, Fond du Lac, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha, all...
announced that it would be filing for bankruptcy. The church was facing more than 23 lawsuits, and attempts to reach a mediated settlement with victims failed in December 2010. This came two days before the bishop was scheduled to be deposed about these cases, and after the church had refused to release the names or personnel records of the priests accused. The opposing attorney said that the bankruptcy filing was an attempt to delay turning over church records on the cases.
The Milwaukee archdiocese has already paid out over $29 million to settle 200 cases over the last 20 years. They said that these additional cases would cause hefty legal fees that the archdiocese could not afford. The archdiocese has assets of about $98.4 million, but $90 million of that is restricted for specific uses.