Two weeks remain for civil lawsuits against Diocese of Rochester

ROCHESTER (NY)
WHAM 13 ABC

July 31, 2020

All legal claims against the Diocese of Rochester must be filed within the next two weeks, according to a federal bankruptcy judge.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Paul Warren issued the ruling Wednesday, stating August 13, 2020 will be the deadline for filing claims in the Diocese’s Chapter 11 case.

An official committee representing plaintiffs in abuse cases and other unsecured creditors had filed a motion to extend the deadline, but were denied.

Leander James, an attorney who has filed many lawsuits under the Child Victims Act on behalf of clients, said earlier this year that setting a deadline such as this one is not an unusual move for a bankruptcy case.

Back in May, the deadline for filing lawsuits in the Child Victims Act was extended to January 14, 2021 by Governor Andrew Cuomo, citing the coronavirus pandemic. Approximately three weeks later, the New York State Legislature passed legislation for a one-year extension of the same law, which would extend the deadline to August 13, 2021. Cuomo has yet to sign that into law.

The bankruptcy court ruling supercedes the extension of the Child Victims Act deadline, meaning anyone who wants to file a lawsuit under the Child Victims Act can do so – but not against the Diocese after August 13.

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