BALTIMORE (MD)
WBAL-TV, NBC-11 [Baltimore MD]
August 12, 2025
By Greg Ng and Rachel Duncan
Judge grants status conference in which survivors, archdiocese can address court; statements are not testimony or evidence
A federal bankruptcy judge in Baltimore on Monday granted a request for clergy sex abuse survivors to again address the court.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for bankruptcy almost two years ago. The debtor is the church, and the creditors include almost 1,000 clergy sex abuse survivors.
In her written opinion, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michelle Harner granted the third opportunity so parties can get an understanding of the case and address the court, based on certain conditions. Under one of the conditions, “survivors participating in the status conference must establish that they have filed proofs of claim in this case and are parties in interest.”
The judge’s opinion specifies that the status conference “is intended by the court to allow survivors, as parties in interest, to have access to the court in a setting frequently made available to debtors and creditors, namely a status conference and not a formal hearing or trial.”
In a statement sent Tuesday afternoon to 11 News, David Lorenz, the director of the Maryland Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said: “We are thankful that the court is allowing those survivors who wish to tell their story to do so. For some survivors, it is an integral part of the healing process and they very much need this to help them heal.”
Arguing in federal court last week, counsel said it’s necessary to keep survivors engaged, while the other side argued it’s improper.
During last week’s hearing, the church’s insurance company opposed another status conference. An attorney called a third set of victim statements improper, unheard of and designed to sway the court.
In her opinion, the judge wrote: “The court is mindful of the need to proceed carefully to ensure that all parties’ rights are protected, preserved and addressed in accordance with the code and the bankruptcy rules.”
The judge wrote that granting the status conference is an opportunity for survivors to check in with the court and for the debtor and other parties in the case to share their perspective.
“The status conference is not evidentiary in nature. No party will be testifying or offering evidence or legal argument. The court will not be adjudicating any matters,” Harner wrote.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore participated in the two previous proceedings in which the court heard victims’ statements and previously said it would do so once more, as long as participants filed claims in the case.