NEW MEXICO
Gallup Independent

Published in the Gallup Independent, Gallup, N.M., April 22, 2015

By Sherry Robinson
Independent correspondent

ALBUQUERQUE – Attorneys for the Diocese of Gallup and two of its insurers traded accusations and complaints during a hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Monday. But parties agreed to begin mediation in early June.

The three biggest points of disagreement were the diocese’s ability to satisfy requests for information, the incidents of abuse actually covered by insurance, and the determination of who is liable.

On Friday, Catholic Mutual filed a nine-page complaint stating that the diocese had been uncooperative, that it still needs information, and that only 15 of 57 claims fall under Catholic Mutual’s period of coverage. The insurer still needs information about all the sex abuse claims submitted, along with the diocese’s defenses to these claims. Instead of providing information, the diocese has instead erected roadblocks,…