Settlements and bankruptcies in Catholic sex abuse cases have affected several American dioceses, whose compensation payments have totaled in the billions of dollars.

Estimates by Donald Cozzens

According to

Donald Cozzens Donald Cozzens (May 17, 1939 – December 9, 2021) was an American Roman Catholic priest, author, and lecturer. Biography Cozzens was a president-rector and professor of pastoral theology at Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology i ...

, "by the end of the mid 1990s, it was estimated that... more than half a billion dollars had been paid in jury awards,

settlement Settlement may refer to: * Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building *Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...

s 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

Bankruptcies

Portland

Citing monetary concerns arising from impending trials on sex abuse claims, the

Archdiocese of Portland The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon (''Archidioecesis Portlandensis in Oregonia'') is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It encompasses the western part of the state of Oregon, from the s ...

(Oregon) filed for Chapter 11

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debto ...

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 Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

should be

liable In law, liable means "responsible or answerable in law; legally obligated". Legal liability concerns both civil law and criminal law and can arise from various areas of law, such as contracts, torts, taxes, or fines given by government agen ...

for any damages awarded in judgment of pending sexual abuse cases. itation

Tucson

The

Diocese of Tucson The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson ( la, Dioecesis Tucsonensis, es, Diócesis de Tucson) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southwestern region of the United States. It is a suffragan see of the Me ...

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 Spokane, 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 Davenport The Diocese of Davenport ( la, Diœcesis Davenportensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Roman Catholicism in the United States, Catholic Church for the southeastern quarter of the United States, U.S. state of Iowa ...

filed for

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...

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.

San Diego

On February 27, 2007, the Diocese of San Diego filed for

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 Fairbanks 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.

Oregon Province of the Jesuits

In February 2009, the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

' Oregon Province, which also was based in other states, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as well. The Province agreed in 2011 to pay $166 million to sex abuse victims

Wilmington

On October 18, 2009, the Diocese of Wilmington filed for bankruptcy as the first of some eight lawsuits (of more than 100 potential) was scheduled to go to trial the next day.

Congregation of Christian Brothers (North America)

In 2011, the North American chapter of the

Congregation of Christian Brothers The Congregation of Christian Brothers ( la, Congregatio Fratrum Christianorum; abbreviated CFC) is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice, Edmund Rice. Their first school was opened i ...

filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to the financial burden caused by sex abuse lawsuits. In 2013, the North American chapter agreed to pay approximately $16.5 million in damages to more than 400 men and women who were sexually or physically abused as children by members of the order. Between 2006 and 2011, the order had also paid approximately 25.6 million to victims in 50 abuse cases.

Milwaukee

On January 4, 2011, the

Archdiocese of Milwaukee The Archdiocese of Milwaukee ( la, Archidiœcesis Milvauchiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States. It encompasses the City of Milwaukee, a ...

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.

Stockton

In 2014, the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton The Diocese of Stockton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Central Valley and Mother Lode region of California in the United States. Its cathedral is the Cathedral of the Annunciation, a Marian ch ...

filed for

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, whe ...

. Under the bankruptcy agreement, which received court approval in 2017, a payout of 15 million was given to over two dozen sex abuses.

Ecclesiastical Province of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

*The Archdiocese of

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

and

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...

filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization on January 17, 2015. *The Diocese of Duluth filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on December 7, 2015. *On March 3, 2017, the Diocese of New Ulm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following numerous lawsuits surrounding sex abuse by Catholic clergy in the area. New Ulm follows the Duluth Diocese and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, thus making Minnesota the first state in the United States of America to have three Roman Catholic dioceses file for bankruptcy protection. *The

Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud ( la, Dioecesis Sancti Clodoaldi) is a Roman Catholic diocese in Minnesota, United States. This diocese covers Benton, Douglas, Grant, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Otter Tail, Pope, ...

announced on February 28, 2018, that it would file for bankruptcy amid claims of sex abuse. The Diocese then filed on March 5, 2019. On May 26, 2020, it was agreed that the Diocese could undergo bankruptcy if $22.5 million was forfeited to compensate 70 sex abuse survivors. *In November 2018, the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona-Rochester Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

released a statement claiming that the Diocese would soon file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to the financial burden caused by ongoing sex abuse lawsuits. The Diocese then officially filed for bankruptcy in December 2018.

Archdiocese of Agaña

On January 15, 2019, it was announced that the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agaña The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agaña (Latin: ''Archidiœcesis Aganiensis'', Spanish: ''Arquidiócesis de Agaña'') is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. It comprises the United States depende ...

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to the financial burden created by the overwhelming amount of sex abuse lawsuits.

Diocese of Rochester

On September 12, 2019, sex abuse lawsuits forced the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester is a diocese of the Catholic Church in the Upstate region of New York State in the United States. The diocese extends from Lake Ontario through Rochester, New York and the Finger Lakes region to part of the ...

for

. The Diocese is the first Catholic diocese in the state of New York to file for bankruptcy and also the 20th Catholic diocese in the U.S. states to do so as well.

Diocese of Harrisburg

On February 19, 2020, the Diocese of Harrisburg filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after disclosing to federal bankruptcy court it has more than 200 creditors and estimated liabilities between $50 million and $100 million, with assets of less than $10 million. The Harrisburg Diocese was the first Catholic diocese in Pennsylvania to seek bankruptcy protection.

Diocese of Buffalo

On February 28, 2020, the

Diocese of Buffalo The Diocese of Buffalo is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church headquartered in Buffalo, New York, United States. It is a suffragan diocese within the metropolitan province of the Archdiocese of New York. The Diocese of Buffalo inc ...

filed for bankruptcy as a result of numerous sexual abuse lawsuits.

Archdiocese of New Orleans

On May 1, 2020, the

Archdiocese of New Orleans The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans ( la, Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae, french: Archidiocèse de la Nouvelle-Orléans, es, Arquidiócesis de Nueva Orleans) is an ecclesiastical division of the Roman Catholic Church spanning Jefferso ...

filed for bankruptcy in part due to pending sex abuse lawsuits.

Others

*The

Diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associ ...

Gallup, New Mexico Zuni: ''Kalabwaki'' , settlement_type = City , nickname = "Indian Capital of the World" , motto = , image_skyline = Gallup, New Mexico.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption ...

filed for bankruptcy protection on November 12, 2013. *The

Diocese of Helena The Diocese of Helena ( la, Dioecesis Helenensis) is the Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in western Montana with its cathedral located in Helena. The diocese was created from the year-old Apostolic Vicariate ...

filed for bankruptcy protection on January 31, 2014, to resolve more than 362 claims. *The Diocese of Great Falls-Billings filed for bankruptcy protection in 2017. *In 2017, the Minnesota and Arizona chapters of the order of Crosier Fathers and Brothers, which also serve as major locations for the order's United States chapter, filed for bankruptcy after agreeing to pay sex abuse victims $25.5 million. *The

Archdiocese of Santa Fe The Archdiocese of Santa Fe ( la, Archidioecesis Sanctae Fidei in America Septentrionali, link=no, es, Arquidiócesis de Santa Fe, link=no) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the southwestern region of the United States in ...

announced it would file for bankruptcy protection on November 29, 2018, and then did so in June 2019 to resolve 395 cases of sex abuse.

References

External links

National Review Board, Child And Youth Protection; US Conference of Catholic Bishops
{{Abuse Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in the United States Sexual abuse scandals in Catholic orders and societies Sexual abuse cover-ups Violence against children Violence against men Violence against women