An attorney for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe expressed hope Monday a resolution could be announced today in its 3½-year bankruptcy case, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. “I’m pleased to tell the court that we are very, very close,” Tom Walker of Albuquerque told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Thuma in an update. Walker asked that a status conference scheduled for yesterday be moved to Tuesday to allow for more negotiations, and Judge Thuma complied. The Archdiocese of Santa Fe filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2018 and has been trying to raise money to work out a settlement with about 400 people who allege sexual abuse perpetrated by Catholic clergy members. The archdiocese also has become entangled in conflict with some of its insurers over how much they should pay. Insurance is expected to provide a chunk of whatever sum goes to the accusers. The archdiocese has said it attempted to verify the accusations and therefore is fairly certain most or all involved in this case are victims of clergy abuse. Judge Thuma said yesterday that he understood the parties involved are “close to reaching a deal.”
