The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego held a press conference and issued a news release this weekend saying it may have to file for bankruptcy after approximately 400 claims were filed by victims who allege that they were sexually abused by priests and other church members.
The earliest claim dates back to 1945 with most of the alleged events taking place 50-75 years ago. Kevin Eckery, communications director for the diocese, estimated that it would cost the diocese $550 million to settle the cases.
NBC News San Diego reported, "Bankruptcy may be necessary in order to provide a pathway for ensuring that the assets of the diocese will be used equitably to compensate all victims of sexual abuse."
Bishop Robert McElroy shared the information in a letter which is posted on the San Diego Diocese website and will be shared with millions of parishioners this weekend.
Letter from San Diego Diocese website:
https://sdcatholic.org/news-release/diocese-considering-bankruptcy-in-light-of-pending-abuse-claims/
Bishop McElroy should have written Matthew 18:6 instead of this letter.
"But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."
Assembly Bill 218 was signed into law in 2019. It amended the law pertaining to civil suits for recovery of damages from alleged childhood sexual abuse. The Bill expanded the definition of childhood sexual abuse,, extended the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits, allows recovery of up to triple the damages under certain circumstances involving a cover-up of childhood sexual assault, revival of certain childhood sexual assault claims, and exemption from the Government Tort Claims Act’s requirements for childhood sexual abuse.
In 2020, California lifted another statute of limitations for sexual abuse. The three-year window allows adults who said they faced sexual abuse by another adult to file lawsuits through the end of 2025.
This is an excerpt from Jeff Anderson and Associates:
The list below contains the names of clergy who were assigned within or working in the California Diocese of San Diego who have been accused of sexual misconduct. While lawsuits were filed involving many of these alleged perpetrators, the vast majority of the claims against these individuals have been settled or have not been fully evaluated in a civil or criminal court. Accordingly, the allegations should be considered just allegations and should not be considered proved or substantiated in a court of law.
All individuals should be considered innocent until proven guilty. In some situations, the statute of limitations has expired preventing cases from being heard in a court of law. The information contained herein is an attempt to compile information already available to the public including information obtained from the media, www.bishopaccountability.org, the Diocese’s public statements, lists and reports that were released to the public, and other sources that have attempted to chronicle this information for public use.
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