CALIFORNIA
Mercury News
By Matthias Gafni
Contra Costa Times
POSTED: 07/17/2014
Anyone abused by a priest or other Stockton Catholic diocese employee, and who wants to sue has less than a month to file a claim as part of a bankruptcy deadline established for the religious organization that claims abuse settlements and judgments have emptied church coffers.
A priest abuse survivor’s group held a news conference Wednesday outside the Stockton diocese headquarters to draw attention to the Aug. 15 deadline and push the diocese to increase public outreach of the upcoming date.
The Stockton diocese, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January, is the 10th Catholic diocese across the country to file for such protections. The Stockton diocese has already paid out $14 million over the past two decades to settle abuse cases, and the diocese in May established a phone hotline for additional abuse victims to call for information on claims.
Attorney James Stang, whose law firm has been hired to man the hotline, said he’s received about 10 calls, meaning the organization could be hit with additional claims.
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