FRESNO (CA)
Fresno Bee [Fresno CA]
July 2, 2025
By Melissa Montalvo
More than a year after announcing plans to file for bankruptcy, the Catholic Diocese of Fresno has officially filed for Chapter 11 protection — a move that has drawn criticism from lawyers representing survivors of sexual abuse.
The Diocese of Fresno, which serves approximately 1 million Catholic parishioners in the central San Joaquin Valley, faces 153 claims of abuse by clergy, following a new state law that opened a three-year window for individuals to bring forward otherwise barred or expired claims.
“Our Church must address the suffering that victims of clergy sexual abuse endure. We know the sin; it will always be before us,” Joseph Brennan, Bishop of the Diocese of Fresno, said. “As your Bishop, I commit to maintain the highest standards for the protection of the vulnerable and our youth and I will continue to confront allegations of abuse or any wrongdoing with diligence and care.”
Some are raising questions about why the Diocese waited more than a year to file for bankruptcy after announcing its plans in May 2024. The diocese initially planned to file for bankruptcy in August 2024.
Attorneys representing about one-third of the 153 abuse survivors said the bankruptcy will cause unnecessary delays and obstacles for survivors who have been waiting for their day in court.
“Filing for bankruptcy is usually a financial-based decision. In this case, however, it’s more than that. It’s a decision rooted in self-preservation over the protection of children and righting the wrongs of the Diocese,” said Jennifer Stein, an attorney with Jeff Anderson & Associates.
Survivors will now how to bring their claims in the context of the bankruptcy proceedings, Stein said.
“That system is less designed, or not designed, to handle claims of this nature that are deeply personal,” she said. “And it has a tendency to minimize and suppress the voice that each individual survivor will have through the process.”
The bankruptcy announcement was also criticized by the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, the largest and oldest victims self-help group, which said that bankruptcy limits the ability for other victims to come forward following the conclusion of the bankruptcy process. Most victims come forward between ages 50 to 70, SNAP said.
“Protecting other boys and girls from being abused, and learning who made the decisions that resulted in a child predator working in their parish or school is important to survivors. However, the bankruptcy courts do not normally concern themselves with either issue,” SNAP said in a statement last year.
As of May 2025, 40 Catholic religious organizations have filed for bankruptcy as the church faces “massive tort liability” for the sexual abuse of children by priests, according to an analysis by Pennsylvania State University.
Brennan said in an open letter that bankruptcy was “the only path that will allow us to handle claims of sexual abuse with fair, equitable compassion while simultaneously ensuring the continuation of ministry within our Diocese.”
The Diocese is made up of 87 parishes and 21 Catholic schools in Fresno, Kern, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Tulare and Kings counties.
The case will be overseen by Hon. René Lastreto II, a judge in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California.
The first hearing date is scheduled for Monday, July 7, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. The Diocese has a website where the public can follow the bankruptcy proceedings.