For the sixth time, federal bankruptcy Judge James Tancredi has extended the deadline for the Diocese of Norwich to file a bankruptcy plan to Jan. 11, 2023, The Day reported. Meanwhile, the possible funds available to pay victims may be tens of millions of dollars less, as the diocese’s insurer has said it will only pay $2.5 million of the available $21 million in coverage. In its motion seeking the sixth extension, diocesan attorneys wrote that it continues to make progress on a plan that is acceptable to its 170 creditors, including 142 people who say they were sexually assaulted by diocesan priests and clergy. The latest deadline was set to expire Friday. Federal bankruptcy court filings show that the Diocese of Norwich has spent more than $2.9 million on legal and other fees since it filed for bankruptcy in July of 2021.The total was for expenditures through Oct. 17. The total amount of legal fees spent by the diocese on the bankruptcy though are about $5 million as it had expended $980,000 in the months leading up to bankruptcy and another $800,000 from Oct. 17 to Nov. 15. In all, there have been more than 900 legal filings in the case.
