CV NEWS FEED // The Diocese of Monterey, California, is considering filing for bankruptcy in the wake of approximately 100 new lawsuits concerning clerical sex abuse cases.
Local news source KSBW8 reported that Monterey Bishop Daniel Garcia sent a letter to parishioners throughout the Diocese on April 18 announcing the possibility of filing for bankruptcy after facing increased numbers of sexual abuse lawsuits.
The rising number of lawsuits against the Diocese is largely the result of the Child Victims Act, which became public law in 2022 and did away with the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse victims.
Under the Act, victims of clerical sex abuse who had previously been unable to seek justice due to the statute of limitations were able to sue the Diocese, prompting it to consider bankruptcy to allow “all victims to be compensated from the limited funds the Diocese has,” according to KSBW8.
“With the limited resources we have, there isn’t a lot of options and our most important focal point is how do we equitably take care of any victims from these cases,” Diocesan Vice Chancellor Deacon David Ford said, according to KSBW8
Several other Californian dioceses have already declared bankruptcy due to the large number of sexual abuse lawsuits. CatholicVote previously reported that the latest was the Diocese of Sacramento, which filed for bankruptcy earlier this month.
KSBW8 reported that the possibility of declaring bankruptcy has angered the victims of clerical sex abuse, as the filing could mean smaller payments drawn out over several years to settle the lawsuits.
“The upshot of bankruptcy is it’s all about protecting the wealth of the diocese at the expense of all those kids who were sexually assaulted by the priests of that diocese,” said Rick Simons, managing attorney for the sexual abuse lawsuits, according to KSBW8.
Deacon Ford disagreed, saying, “We’re definitely not trying to minimize and not give those who have suffered their due.”
Deacon Ford added that no decisions will be made until further discussions have been held.
