The federal judge overseeing the bankruptcy of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis questioned the need for more legal and other professionals to resolve the case during a court hearing yesterday, Minnesota Public Radio reported. The legal bill for the bankruptcy is already about $3.6 million. Now, the archdiocese wants a firm hired to represent sex abuse victims who might file claims against the church in the future. The estimated cost is $150,000. About 400 people filed abuse claims by an August deadline, but the archdiocese says some people could still come forward with legally viable claims of abuse that occurred before the church's bankruptcy filing and could argue they were not subject to the August cutoff. Russell Roten, an attorney representing insurers, said that a future claims representative would add some finality to the case by contemplating possible claims and seeing that funds are set aside to provide compensation. Read more.
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