CALIFORNIA
The Record
By The Record
December 05, 2013
These are difficult times for the Diocese of Stockton – not just the entity, but the thousands of parishoners, too.
Stating that the diocese is out of options, Bishop Stephen Blaire penned a letter to the quarter million parishoners in six counties that a final decision on bankruptcy could come after the first of the year.
The financial situation is dire. It was preventable.
The Chapter 11 protection is needed because the diocese has been drained financially from settlements for sex-abuse lawsuits involving priests. Through 2010, the diocese had settled 22 cases at a cost of $18.7 million.
There could be more cases pending. “We have no apparent way to meet the expenses of pending lawsuits and possible future claims,” the bishop said in an earlier letter.
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