BishopAccountability.org
	Claims of Sexual Abuse Flood Davenport Diocese Associated Press, carried in Des Moines Register July 26, 2007 http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070726/NEWS/707260408/1001/NEWS Davenport (IA) — A flood of claims from people who said they were sexually abused by priests of the bankrupt Davenport Diocese surprised even members of the creditors committee. The committee, made up of people who have similar abuse claims against the diocese, said Tuesday that 153 people filed claims by last week's deadline. The Roman Catholic diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last fall and is selling some of its property to settle claims. A federal bankruptcy judge set a July 16 deadline to file claims of abuse by priests. Michl Uhde, who leads the committee, said Tuesday that the number of claims is about double what he expected. "It takes a lot of guts for them to come forward and ask for help," said Uhde, who won a $1.5 million jury verdict against the diocese for abuse he suffered at the hands of a now-dead priest. "It's the first step in the healing process for them." Richard Davidson, attorney for the diocese, declined to comment. As with other Catholic dioceses that filed for bankruptcy, all of the claims will be negotiated in bankruptcy court and may be paid from money accumulated from insurance recoveries, diocese assets and loans. A fund will be set up to help victims who may come forward in the future, Uhde said. "We are going to make a provision for future claims," Uhde said. "We know this 153 number is not the total of all abuse claims. We want to make sure anyone who comes to the reality down the road will be taken care of." The Diocese of Davenport, with about 100,000 members, earlier settled 43 lawsuits or claims for about $10 million. The diocese had a half-dozen lawsuits pending against it when it filed for bankruptcy in October 2006. Those plaintiffs are included in the list of 153 bankruptcy claimants, Uhde said. All of the claims will be checked for validity, Uhde said. In light of so many new claims against priests, the diocese received permission from the bankruptcy court to hire a private investigator with experience in looking into reports of sexual abuse by minors, according to court records. Uhde said he expects that process to be completed around the end of the year.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.