The Diocese of Stockton (Calif.) said that it has received 34 claims of sexual abuse since it notified the public of a deadline to file such claims imposed by a bankruptcy court, the Stockton Record reported today. The diocese also announced that no priest in active ministry was named in those claims. Diocese leaders filed for chapter 11 protection in January, saying that its finances have been drained by legal costs and settlements arising from claims of child sexual abuse by priests. Over the past two decades, those costs have mounted to $32 million for the diocese, which oversees parishes in San Joaquin, Calaveras, Stanislaus, Tuolomne, Alpine and Mono counties. Following the bankruptcy filing, the courts set Aug. 15 as the deadline for anyone thereafter to file such a claim.
