BishopAccountability.org
	Objections Raised in Tucson over Church-Abuse Claims The Associated Press, carried in azcentral.com [Tucson AZ] June 29, 2005 TUCSON - A court-appointed committee has objected to dozens of sexual abuse claims filed in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson's bankruptcy case. Out of 103 claims that have been filed, settlements have been approved for 30, and 68 will be argued during a hearing scheduled Thursday before Judge James M. Marlar. The other five are expected to be negotiated. "We've been sitting here today talking about what to expect. It's a little uncertain. Some people who have filed very strange claims will probably show up," said C. Taylor Ashworth, a Phoenix bankruptcy attorney who represents the court-appointed tort creditors committee. "They are not people alleging they were sexually abused as minors," Ashworth said. "They are people that have filed claims that have nothing to do with the diocese. There will be a handful of those, and then there will be five or six that just really didn't seem to have good cases." The diocese sought Chapter 11 reorganization protection in September in the face of litigation stemming from alleged sexual abuse by priests. It was the second in the country to seek such protection. The settlement pool under the current reorganization plan is set at a minimum of $15.7 million, with additional cash flow to victims of sexual abuse possible through real estate sales, parish contributions and future insurance settlements. Marlar approved settlements on June 14 for 30 people, including five parents. The settlements represent $9.7 million in initial disbursements. Settlements at stake amount to initial disbursements of up to $600,000 per person. In recent weeks, lawyers for some of the claimants, whose cases are under court seal, have filed objections to the way the case is being handled, specifically over who will receive shares of the settlement money. Ashworth said although the tort creditors committee was accused of collusion in one objection, he doubts it will be an issue Thursday. Brian O'Connor, secretary for the tort creditors committee, said there were claims that were not legally valid. "They were from other places, not Tucson, and there were just real reasons to reject a number of claims," said O'Connor, who himself has filed an abuse claim that remains unresolved. "Everybody on the committee did a lot of work. But you can't walk into a room and make everybody happy," O'Connor said.