Nearly three years since filing for bankruptcy in response to a flood of sexual-abuse claims, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton, Calif., is hoping to close the book on what Bishop Stephen Blaire has described as a “very difficult chapter,” the Union Democrat reported today. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher M. Klein approved Blaire’s reorganization plan for the diocese on Tuesday, according to a written statement. The diocese filed for bankruptcy on Jan. 15, 2014, after paying out more than $15 million to settle nearly two dozen sex-abuse claims over a 20-year period. Under the plan, the diocese has agreed to pay $15 million to survivors of sexual abuse by clergy. Part of the plan also involves making “non-monetary” commitments to the survivors that the diocese described as “important aspects of any healing process.” Other details of the plan include setting up a trust fund exclusively for the benefit of survivors, paying at least 50 percent of what the diocese owed to general unsecured creditors, restructuring secured loans, and settling with insurance carriers.
