A U.S. judge said yesterday that he would consider dismissing the bankruptcy of a New York Roman Catholic diocese if the church cannot build more support among sexual abuse victims who have sued the church and its parishes, Reuters reported. Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn said during a court hearing in Manhattan that he was not eager to be the first judge to kick a Catholic diocese out of bankruptcy. But if the Diocese of Rockville Centre cannot make progress toward a comprehensive settlement of sexual abuse claims, it would be unfair to prevent abuse survivors from resuming their lawsuits in other courts, Judge Glenn said. "The survivors deserve an opportunity to be heard by a jury of their peers," Glenn said. "They've been held off too long." The diocese filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in New York in October 2020, citing the cost of lawsuits filed by childhood victims of clergy sexual abuse. New York's Child Victims Act, which took effect in August 2020, temporarily enabled victims of child sexual abuse to file lawsuits over decades-old crimes. At least 20 other dioceses have filed for bankruptcy in response to New York's law and similar laws passed in other U.S. states. The diocese has estimated that its bankruptcy plan would provide between $185 million and $200 million in value to abuse survivors.
