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	Sex-Abuse Cases Could Bankrupt Regina By Ryan Young Daily Iowan [Iowa City IA] October 10, 2006 http://media.www.dailyiowan.com/media/storage/paper599/news/2006/10/10/ Metro/SexAbuse.Cases.Could.Bankrupt.Regina-2340861.shtml?sourcedomain= www.dailyiowan.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com School officials for the Regina Inter-Parish Catholic Education Center announced on Monday that the institution is preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, depending on the outcome of three sexual-abuse cases. Those civil trials, scheduled to begin Oct. 23 in Davenport, stem from a slew of sexual-misconduct allegations against Bishop Lawrence Soens, who was the Regina principal for nine years. Michael Gould and a collection of 13 other former Regina students have come forward with allegations against Soens. Before passing away, former student Dennis Allen also alleged he was abused by Soens. Regina School Board Chairman Lee Iben said the action is a cautionary step to protect the school's property, should there be an adverse outcome for the school in the cases. "It takes a while to actually [file for bankruptcy], but we're getting prepared in case we have to," he said. The Daily Iowan could not ascertain a dollar amount for the damages sought by the plaintiffs, but similar suits against other clergy in the Diocese of Davenport, which oversees Catholic institutions in eastern Iowa, have asked for amounts that could be problematic for Regina. The diocese, which has been accused of covering up allegations by numerous groups, including Iowa City's Concerned Catholics of the Davenport Diocese, has spent millions after jury decisions and out-of-court settlements. Allen's attorney, Craig Levien, said the Allen family is waiting to see what both Regina and the diocese plan to do during the trials before deciding whether to pursue a case. Both the diocese and Regina are named in the lawsuit, but Iben said he believes the school should not be linked to the claims for a number of reasons. When Soens was principal, he said, the School Board was made up of the four parish priests and a bishop, and the diocese was responsible for selecting the principal. Iben also said the statue of limitations has expired. Additionally, he said, Soens has denied the charges, and no other adult recalls the alleged abuse. But Levien said the negligence of supervision should not go unpunished. "This is bad conduct by Soens, but it was negligently supervised by others, and the others are also responsible," he said. Levien said the announcement of Regina's potential bankruptcy filing represents an inaccurate scare tactic, and the school has resources to "fairly and equitably resolve the claims." "If they were willing to attempt a fair and negotiable settlement, we could reach a fair and equitable solution to this matter," Levien said. He added Regina "can certainly resolve these [matters] and preserve the ability of the school to continue an uninterrupted operation to serve the student needs." E-mail DI reporter Ryan Young at: ryan-c-young@uiowa.edu
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