The Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth, Minn., filed for bankruptcy Monday after being hit with an $8.4 million verdict in a clergy sex abuse case, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The diocese, which spans 10 counties in northeastern Minnesota, filed for chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Duluth, court papers show. Last month, a jury awarded $8.4 million to a man who says he was sexually abused in the late 1970s by a priest serving in the Diocese of Duluth. The diocese, which has said that it is considering an appeal, says that it knew nothing about the abuse and couldn't have prevented it. The Diocese of Duluth is being held responsible for $4.8 million of the $8.4 million judgment, Susan Gaertner, a lawyer for the diocese. Read more. (Subscription required.)
Diocesan and religious order bankruptcies were the topic of discussion at a session at last week’s Winter Leadership Conference. Click here to access the meeting materials from that session.
