The Catholic Diocese of Oakland, California announced yesterday that it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, saying in part:
The filing is necessary in light of the more than 330 lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse brought against RCBO under a recent California statute that allowed decades-old claims otherwise time barred and expired to be filed….
Most of the claims brought under the most recent California statute stem from allegations of sexual abuse that occurred in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s by priests who are no longer active in ministry and/or deceased. Chapter 11 is a court-supervised, transparent process that allows for the evaluation of the merits of each claim and gives claimants a say in the outcome and visibility into the proceedings and RCBO’s finances. With the Chapter 11 filing, legal actions against RCBO will stop, allowing RCBO to develop a plan of reorganization, based on assets and insurance coverage available to be used to settle claims with abuse survivors.
Catholic schools that operate in the diocese are separate entities and are not included in the bankruptcy filing.