BALTIMORE (MD)
The Daily Record [Baltimore MD]
December 12, 2025
By Ian Round
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Key takeaways
- The Archdiocese of Baltimore will not assert charitable immunity in bankruptcy for sexual abuse claims.
- Over 900 survivor claims are involved in the bankruptcy case.
- Archbishop William Lori emphasized the church’s commitment to fair compensation.
- A three-day trial on charitable immunity was canceled; a status conference is set for Jan. 5.
The country’s oldest archdiocese will not seek charitable immunity to protect itself from paying sexual abuse survivors.
In a stipulation filed Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Baltimore, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore said it would not assert charitable immunity in this case or in a future bankruptcy for survivor claims. It similarly would not authorize parishes or schools to file for bankruptcy unless they also waive charitable immunity.
“Entering the stipulation now saves time and money, promotes judicial economy, and resolves a complex, legal issue obstructing progress in mediation,” Friday’s filing states.
“Saving time in this case is critical because it allows for a speedier process of recovery for the hundreds of Survivor claimants in this case,” it adds, “and a speedier process of reorganization and exit from bankruptcy for the Debtor.”
The doctrine, intended to protect donors to charities, rests on the premise that they want their money to support the charity’s core mission, not litigation.
The committee representing the more than 900 survivors with claims in the bankruptcy case sued in April after the archdiocese raised the possibility of charitable immunity, arguing the archdiocese put forward the defense in bad faith. If its assets are immune, the committee argued, it isn’t in debt, and therefore shouldn’t be protected by the bankruptcy process, which prohibits civil lawsuits against the debtor. The committee later filed a motion to dismiss the case from bankruptcy court if the church was deemed immune.
The plaintiffs also pointed to statements by Baltimore Archbishop William Lori in which he said compensation for victims was part of the church’s core mission.
The archdiocese maintains it never actually invoked charitable immunity and instead merely noted that the doctrine existed. But it fought the victims’ committee’s lawsuit and asked a judge to declare the defense available.
The lawsuit, known as an “adversary proceeding,” said “the Debtor asserted that the doctrine of charitable immunity provides a complete legal defense under Maryland law to the obligation to pay Survivor claims that are not covered, or to the extent the claim exceeds the limits provided, by third-party insurance.”
The archdiocese denied that “as stated,” but said that, “to the extent any tort claim exceeds or is otherwise not covered by the Debtor’s insurance, the doctrine of charitable immunity as provided for under Maryland law provides to the Debtor a complete legal defense to the claims asserted by Survivors.”
A three-day trial on the subject, originally set to begin Monday, has been cancelled. A status conference is now scheduled for Jan. 5.
In October, the archdiocese said it would voluntarily put $33 million of its own money toward a settlement, even if it was deemed immune, and expected insurance companies to contribute hundreds of millions of dollars. The victims’ committee rejected the offer; lawyers described it as “insulting” and “reprehensible.” The committee wants nearly $900 million.
After a November hearing at which 10 victims told their stories, Lori reiterated that the archdiocese is working on a settlement that provides “fair, equitable and just compensation.”
“From the very beginning, we have said we would put the resources of the church toward a settlement,” he said. “It is our desire to bring this to closure as soon as we can.”
The stipulation also says the archdiocese retains the right to assert charitable immunity for claims unrelated to sexual abuse, and will retain all other defenses to survivors’ claims.
The archdiocese and the victims’ committee declined to comment.Tags: sexual abuse, charitable immunity, Archdiocese of Baltimore, U.S. Bankruptcy Court
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