BishopAccountability.org

Davenport Diocese Bankruptcy Case Closed

The Gazette
June 21, 2012

http://thegazette.com/2012/06/21/davenport-diocese-bankruptcy-case-closed/

Steve Theisen of Hudson, Director of the Iowa chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), delivers a statement in front of St. Mary's Church in Riverside Tuesday, December 13, 2005.

The bankruptcy case against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport, the result of a clergy sexual abuse scandal, has been closed.

Judge Lee Jackwig of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Iowa issued an order last Friday to conclude the case, which dates to 2006. She wrote that "substantial consummation of the confirmed plan has occurred and the estate has been fully administered."

The diocese, however, still must comply with the non-monetary terms that were part of a $37 million settlement reached in 2008 between the diocese and more than 150 avowed abuse victims.

Jackwig's order signaled no more than the end of the administrative aspects of the case, said Craig Levien, a Davenport attorney who represents dozens of diocese abuse victims. He noted that there are ongoing investigations against alleged abusers and the diocese just last week named another perpetrator.

Also, about a dozen additional victims have come forward since the settlement, Levien said, bringing the total to about 170.

"The story is not over, and the truth has not fully been revealed," he said.

Bishop Martin Amos said in a statement released Thursday that the bankruptcy process offered the best opportunity for healing and for the fair compensation of the victims of sexual abuse by diocese priests.

"While the bankruptcy process has closed, it will not end the suffering by some survivors of abuse," he said. "I pray that the healing process for the survivors of abuse will continue."

The diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2006, saying it did not have the money to settle claims stemming from accusations of sexual abuse dating back several decades.

At the time, it was just the fourth Roman Catholic diocese in the U.S. to file for bankruptcy protection as a result of a clergy sexual abuse scandal that has plagued the church worldwide. At least four more dioceses have filed for bankruptcy since then.

The move allowed the Davenport diocese – serving 22 southeast Iowa counties, including Johnson County – to settle all claims against it.

Although the settlement was approved in 2008, the diocese was required to file at least three annual reports on its progress in implementing the 17 non-monetary terms of the deal. Those include publishing the names of all perpetrators of sexual abuse on the diocese website, an apology from Amos to the victims and other acts of reconciliation.

With the new name, a non-clergy member, confirmed earlier this month, there are now 32 perpetrators, although the diocese list had not been updated as of Thursday afternoon.

Levien said he expects attorneys for the victims to submit future filings with the court to check on the diocese's compliance. He said naming perpetrators and holding those who are still alive responsible is what promotes healing, not a judge's order closing the case.

"I would say that the closure that each individual survivor has reached has been something that they have had to find for themselves," he said.




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