The Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y., has proposed a revised $200 million settlement of sex abuse claims, but faced immediate pushback on Tuesday from a U.S. bankruptcy judge who demanded more detailed financial information from the bankrupt Long Island diocese, Reuters reported. The diocese said in a Tuesday statement that its revised bankruptcy plan filed Monday was its "best and final" offer. It would pay claimants $200 million in cash, plus the potential for additional recoveries from the diocese's insurers. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn in Manhattan, who is overseeing the diocese's chapter 11, and attorneys for abuse survivors called the proposal a nonstarter at a court hearing later Tuesday morning. The diocese's attempt to resolve about 600 sex-abuse claims has been stalled for months, and Judge Glenn had warned in July that he could dismiss the bankruptcy case if no progress was made. Judge Glenn on Tuesday said he would not approve a bankruptcy plan without detailed financial information from each of the approximately 130 parishes within the diocese. Abuse claimants who vote on the plan must be able to weigh the value of their claim against the resources available to the parish where their abuse occurred, Judge Glenn said.
