Focus on accountability
Bankruptcy Tracker
SNAP tracks and documents the number of dioceses in the United States that declare bankruptcy each year as a way to protect their assets from the cost of settling claims of clergy sexual abuse. SNAP maintains this count to expose the Church’s ongoing strategy of insulating itself from legal and financial penalties for its crimes against children and vulnerable people. This spotlight aims to reveal the Catholic Church’s efforts to circumvent the prosecutor’s office and severely limit survivors’ ability to seek reparations from abusers and those who protected them.
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BALTIMORE, MD — One of the insurers in the Archdiocese of Baltimore bankruptcy case has agreed to pay to settle some claims, according to a court filing. WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates has learned Hartford Insurance Group will pay $100 million to settle claims from some victims, documents show. The group will also … Continue reading Filing: Insurer in Archdiocese of Baltimore bankruptcy case will pay $100M to settle some claims
ALBANY, NY — The Diocese of Albany, New York, will pay survivors of sexual abuse a $148 million settlement in restitution for what Bishop Mark O’Connell called a “shameful chapter” of abuse in the diocese’s history. The diocese announced the settlement in a press release on March 27. The nine-figure … Continue reading ‘A clear statement of guilt’: Diocese of Albany announces $148 million settlement for abuse victims
NEW ORLEANS, LA — The Archdiocese of New Orleans has finalized the sale of Christopher Homes apartments to Tredway, a New York-based developer, according to our partners at the Times Picayune | New Orleans Advocate. The $152 million deal, which closed Friday, includes 14 complexes housing about 1,600 elderly and … Continue reading Archdiocese of New Orleans finalizes $152M sale of Christopher Homes apartments
EL PASO, TX — El Paso Catholic Diocese officials confirmed more than 30 years ago that a priest sexually abused Isaac Melendrez Jr. and other boys, but never shared findings with him, or offered him help. Now, he’s speaking out. In 1981, 14-year-old Isaac Melendrez Jr. was sexually abused by … Continue reading Survivor challenges the Catholic church as the El Paso diocese seeks bankruptcy protection
OAKLAND, CA — The dueling settlement offers from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland and the hundreds of East Bay parishioners who say they were raped and abused by its priests are still separated by at least $90 million — and possibly tens of millions more, court records show. Disputes … Continue reading Oakland diocese, abuse victims far apart in settlement talks
OAKLAND, CA — Oakland, Alameda County prosecutors say a local woman secretly sold a church parking lot and funneled roughly $480,000 from the deal to herself, announcing criminal charges today. The case is raising fresh questions about how churches and other nonprofits keep track of the real estate they rely … Continue reading Prosecutors Say Oakland Woman Cashed in Church Parking Lot for $480K
WASHINGTON, DC — When a child sexual abuse scandal breaks, the public response is predictable: shock, outrage, promises of reform. But in the months and years that follow, institutions often evade accountability. They lawyer up. Records stay hidden. Survivors who finally come forward are silenced by the legal system itself. … Continue reading How bankruptcy reform can provide justice for child sexual abuse victims
The El Paso Catholic Diocese, faced with potential “astronomical” judgments in a dozen lawsuits alleging clergy sexual abuse, filed for bankruptcy reorganization Friday. The 12 lawsuits involving 18 plaintiffs, filed between 2022 and 2025 in Las Cruces, allege sexual abuse by priests at a number of New Mexico parishes between … Continue reading El Paso Catholic Diocese files for bankruptcy reorganization
The Diocese of Syracuse, New York, has formally closed out its long-running bankruptcy, funding a victims’ trust with more than $176 million to settle claims. The move concludes a “journey of reparation” begun in June 2020 to “provide compensation for the pain and mistreatment experienced by survivors/victims of sexual abuse … Continue reading Diocese of Syracuse wraps $176 million bankruptcy settlement in ‘journey of reparation’
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, has reached a new agreement to contribute an additional $180 million to a compensation trust for survivors of clergy sexual abuse, marking what church officials describe as the final resolution of its long-running bankruptcy case. The new funding comes after a Chapter … Continue reading Camden Diocese Adds $180 Million for Clergy Abuse Survivors in Final Bankruptcy Settlement
The Franciscan Friars of California announced a bankruptcy filing in 2024 ‘to address 94 child sexual abuse claims.’ The Franciscan Friars of California have announced a $20 million settlement with alleged abuse victims, with the eight-figure payout coming after the group filed for bankruptcy several years ago. The friars announced in … Continue reading California Franciscans Announce $20 Million Abuse Settlement
by Charles Nadeau, Op-Ed for the National Catholic Reporter In the Catholic tradition, repentance begins with truth. It requires acknowledging harm, accepting responsibility and committing to change. Bankruptcy, by contrast, is a legal process. It exists to manage risk, limit exposure and bring disputes to procedural closure. When the church … Continue reading Bankruptcy is not repentance for clergy sex abuse
Survivors described decades of abuse, coverups, and lasting trauma while urging a federal judge to end the bankruptcy case, which is approaching its sixth year. Rage. Humiliation. Guilt. Distrust. These were among the words spoken Tuesday in U.S. District Court by survivors of clergy sexual abuse as they testified in … Continue reading Survivors testify in Buffalo Diocese bankruptcy case
A federal judge has approved a federal settlement that will clear the way for the New Orleans Archdiocese to pay at least $230 million to hundreds of victims of clergy abuse. The New Orleans Archdiocese will pay at least $230 million to hundreds of victims of clergy sexual abuse under a settlement … Continue reading New Orleans Archdiocese to pay hundreds of clergy abuse victims
More than a dozen people described during testimony Monday how being sexually abused as children by Catholic priests in the north country has had long-lasting and often ruinous impacts on their lives. The people who told their stories in a federal courtroom in Albany have all sued the Diocese of … Continue reading Survivors testify at Ogdensburg Diocese bankruptcy case
The first person to sue the Rockville Centre Catholic Diocese after the passage of New York’s Child Victims Act was a man named Richard Tollner. It was August 2019, and New York was one of seven states that had created a law giving sex abuse victims a limited window to bring lawsuits no … Continue reading The Next Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal: Bankruptcy Court
Impact statements from survivors of alleged sexual abuse by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany will be given in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sept. 10. Multiple survivors came forward in 2022 when New York’s Child Victims Act made it possible for them to … Continue reading Abuse survivors testify in Albany diocese bankruptcy case
The Diocese of Oakland is facing pushback over its plan to settle hundreds of lawsuits. It’s offering far less than other similar settlements. The diocese entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings last year, overwhelmed by lawsuits over sexual abuse. In a proposal filed Friday, the diocese is offering far less than … Continue reading Oakland Diocese sexual assault survivors push back on settlement
