WASHINGTON
NBC Chicago
By Phil Rogers
Bishop Blasé Cupich has at least one strong tie to Spokane, which will tug him back to the Pacific Northwest, even after he assumes his new role as Chicago’s new Archbishop. He’s a witness in a court case.
Cupich is actually the plaintiff in a case in which he filed suit against his own law firm, Paine Hamblen, alleging malpractice. The firm, longtime attorneys for the Catholic Diocese of Spokane, managed the bankruptcy case for the Church, prompted by tens of millions of dollars in claims alleging sexual abuse.
That bankruptcy was a first for the Catholic Church in America, a court action taken when the Spokane Diocese faced over $70 million in claims, with only about $10 million in assets.
“We did a very good job,” says Jane Brown, the law firm’s managing partner. “We were able to bring the Diocese through that whole experience, managing its liabilities, and able to continue to ministry and promote healing.”
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