A nearly 3-year-old bankruptcy case filed amid hundreds of child sexual abuse allegations has cost the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, N.M., more than $2.3 million in legal fees alone, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. Federal court records show the Roman Catholic institution has used the services of at least four law firms with expertise in cases involving clergy sexual abuse and bankruptcy. The archdiocese seeks to reach a settlement with 385 claimants in its December 2018 chapter 11 filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Albuquerque. This archdiocese and many dioceses across the nation, including the one in Gallup, have claimed bankruptcy in the Catholic Church scandal that began to receive attention in the early 1990s. U.S. Bankruptcy Court records show the Albuquerque firm Walker & Associates this week billed the Archdiocese of Santa Fe $374,999 for work done over 13 months ending in July. Including bills for two previous periods, Walker's billings have totaled about $907,200. Walker & Associates meticulously detailed its phone calls, meetings, projects, time spent and amount billed in a 165-page court document. Depending on which attorney or staffer worked on a matter, the firm's fees ranged from $75 to $295 an hour. The court reviews the charges and has final say on whether they are reasonable.
