Aug. 15 deadline to file clergy sex abuse claims proposed

GUAM
The Guam Daily

April 2, 2019

By Kevin Kerrigan

An attorney for the Archdiocese of Agana has asked Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood to issue an order setting a sexual abuse filing “bar date” of Aug. 15 at 5 p.m. That is the date by which any remaining sexual abuse plaintiffs must file their complaints.

In his motion, Ford Elsaesser, the bankruptcy attorney for the archdiocese, states that “the establishment of a deadline to file claims is critical” because it will allow the archdiocese to know “the universe of claims” before it.

The island’s Catholic Church is facing more than 200 sexual abuse lawsuits. On average, each plaintiff is seeking $5 million in damages, which amounts to roughly $1 billion in claims.

In the face of those lawsuits, the Archdiocese of Agana on Jan. 16 filed a petition for reorganization in the District Court of Guam under Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy code.

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