BILLINGS (MT)
KTVQ

December 19, 2017

By Erik Olson

More than $70 million in assets at Catholic parishes in Eastern Montana, including in Billings, could be at stake as part of the regional diocese’s bankruptcy amid claims of sexual assault stemming back to the 1950s.

Survivors of sexual assault at the hands of priests and nuns dating back to the 1950s say the Great Falls-based diocese has understated its total assets by not including properties held in local parishes, according to documents filed Monday in federal bankruptcy court in Butte.

The Diocese of Great Falls-Billings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March, a move that church officials said would help develop a compensation fund for victims and set aside money for more who come forward.

“The resolution of this litigation is critical to (the diocese) … because it will determine the magnitude of distributions to its creditors, including…