MONTEREY (CA)
The Tribune [San Luis Obispo CA]
May 2, 2024
By Kaytlyn Leslie
The Catholic bishop of Monterey, whose district includes San Luis Obispo County, said his diocese could go bankrupt amid of flood of lawsuits alleging childhood sexual abuse.
In a letter to parishioners April 18, the Most Rev. Daniel E. Garcia said after the state reopened the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse in 2020, the Diocese of Monterey “received approximately 100 lawsuits alleging childhood sexual abuse” between the 1950s and 2002.
“The issue of sexual abuse of minors has been one that deeply saddens and disturbs all of us,” Garcia wrote in the letter. “It is an on-going human problem that has touched many families and all kinds of public and private organizations including, most sadly, the Catholic Church. These actions are never acceptable.”
Garcia added the diocese is committed to “helping those touched by childhood sexual abuse by those working for the Church of Monterey.”
In 2019, the California Legislature approved the Child Victims Act, which created a three-year window that gave adults more time to sue over sexual abuses they suffered as children. Since then, several California dioceses have been hit with an onslaught of lawsuits alleging abuse.
Several dioceses — including those in Sacramento, Oakland and San Francisco — have turned to Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections as a means to secure funding to compensate victims.
Garcia said that is one of the options on the table for the Diocese of Monterey.
“This would allow all victims to be compensated from the limited funds that the Diocese has and will be allocated in an equitable manner,” he wrote. “I have consulted with the priests of the diocese, the Presbyterian Council and my advisers, and we are strongly considering this option. Our attorneys have tried other methods of resolution, but unfortunately, have not been successful in reaching a resolution.”
Garcia said that though an official decision hasn’t been made on whether the diocese will declare bankruptcy, “it is highly likely in light of the number of lawsuits we are facing.”
The bishop did not disclose further details about what declaring bankruptcy would mean for the diocese.
The Diocese of Monterey was established in 1967 and encompasses Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito and San Luis Obispo counties, according to its website. It oversees 47 parishes, including five historic California Missions.
None of the 100 lawsuits filed against the Diocese of Monterey during the expanded statute of limitations window appear to originate in San Luis Obispo County, a Tribune court records search found.
Kaytlyn Leslie writes about business and development for The San Luis Obispo Tribune. Hailing from Nipomo, she also covers city governments and happenings in San Luis Obispo. She joined The Tribune in 2013 after graduating from Cal Poly with her journalism degree.
kleslie@thetribunenews.com