A bankruptcy judge has ordered the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup, N.M., its insurance carriers and lawyers representing 58 alleged sexual-abuse victims to begin mediation no later than July 15, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. Bankruptcy Judge David Thuma signed off on mediation at the request of both alleged victims and the diocese, which stretches across broad swaths of northern Arizona and New Mexico. In advance of mediation, lawyers representing the diocese, insurers and alleged victims have spent nearly a year and a half seeking out victims, assessing the value of the diocese’s assets and collecting evidence on the allegations of abuse and alleged cover-up by diocesan officials, much of which is said to have taken place decades ago. Susan Boswell, a lawyer for the Diocese of Gallup, said she hopes to arrive at a court-approved settlement with alleged victims and others well in advance of the second anniversary of the case in November.
