Key Ruling Expected Thursday in Archdiocese Bankruptcy Case

SNAP Wisconsin
January 24, 2013

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Key ruling expected Thursday in Archdiocese bankruptcy case

Decision could either open or close the door to hundreds of victim’s cases

Archdiocese has also filed a new motion asking for 157 cases involving religious order sex offender clerics be tossed

WHO/WHAT

Victim/survivors of childhood sexual abuse by clergy of the Milwaukee Archdiocese, including leaders of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org/SNAPwisconsin.com) will be joined by victim/claimants in the Milwaukee Archdiocese bankruptcy hearing to discuss Judge Susan V. Kelley’s court ruling that may well determine the admissibility or dismissal of the majority of 570 cases filed by victims into the court. At issue is whether the majority of cases, charging the archdiocese with fraud by concealing and transferring known child sex offender clerics, were filed within Wisconsin’s statute of limitations. The ruling, expected in a hearing last month (see details here), was delayed by Kelley until Thursday.

Also discussed will be other recent key developments emerging from the bankruptcy court, including the rejection of the use of the first amendment by Judge Kelly to prohibit the court from examining former Archbishop, now New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s controversial and potentially fraudulent transfer of 55 million dollars into a so-called “cemetery trust” to shield assets from victims. And it was discovered last week that top archdiocesan officials for almost two months refused to turn over criminal evidence in a current and active child sex abuse investigation in Fond du Lac, telling law enforcement that Judge Kelley’s bankruptcy court prohibited them from doing so, a patently false claim.

Finally, the archdiocese has filed this week a motion for Kelly to dismiss 157 victim cases because they involve religious order sex offenders, based on the argument that the archdiocese has no responsibility for religious orders, even though most of these individuals must be officially assigned to the archdiocese and can only work in parishes and schools with the direct consent and supervision of the archbishop.

WHEN

Thursday, January 24th. Court hearing is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.

WHERE

On the front steps of the Federal Courthouse, 517 E. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, after the hearing.

CONTACT

Peter Isely, SNAP Midwest Director, 414.429.7259

John Pilmaier, SNAP Wisconsin Director, 414.336.8575

Mike Sneesby, SNAP Milwaukee Director, 414.915.4374

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 23 years and have more than 10,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Visit us at SNAPnetwork.org and SNAPwisconsin.com