BishopAccountability.org
	Milwaukee Archdiocese Files for Bankruptcy By Joe Barrett Wall Street Journal January 5, 2011 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704723104576062020204398018.html The Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday as it faces lawsuits brought by 23 people who allege they were sexually abused by priests. Milwaukee is the eighth U.S. Catholic diocese to file for bankruptcy-court protection amid sex-abuse claims in recent years. The action follows a failed effort to mediate a settlement and a court decision that makes insurance coverage unlikely, said Archbishop Jerome Listecki. "The abuse was sinful and it was criminal," he said, adding that the filing was the best way to compensate the victims equitably while allowing the archdiocese to continue its work. One of the half-dozen priests named in the lawsuits was convicted of a sexual crime after the abuse alleged in the suit. The archdiocese reported $98 million in total assets as of June 30, but said about $90 million was encumbered in some way. It has spent more than $29 million to cover costs of clergy abuse, Archbishop Listecki said. Jeff Anderson, a St. Paul, Minn., attorney for the alleged victims, said the filing was an effort to delay a deposition of church officials.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.