Facing financial problems and lawsuits from victims of sexual abuse, the
Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011. A
Creditors’ Committee composed of sexual abuse victims subsequently
sought to void a transfer of $55 million
from the Archdiocese’s general accounts to the cemetery trust, created
after the archdiocese agreed to a $17 million settlement involving 10
victims abused by priests in California, as fraudulent or preferential
under the Bankruptcy Code.
When the victims sought those funds in the bankruptcy preceding, however, the archdiocese claimed that it had a religious liberty right not to use that money to compensate victims of sexual abuse. A federal district judge agreed with the archdiocese in 2013, but a bipartisan panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed that decision on March 9, 2015. The Seventh Circuit’s decision means that the archdiocese will not be able to hide behind claims of religious liberty in order to avoid liability for the actions of its clergy.
https://anonhq.com/clergys-orgies-can-catholic-church-deny-compensation-victims-sexual-abuse/
When the victims sought those funds in the bankruptcy preceding, however, the archdiocese claimed that it had a religious liberty right not to use that money to compensate victims of sexual abuse. A federal district judge agreed with the archdiocese in 2013, but a bipartisan panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed that decision on March 9, 2015. The Seventh Circuit’s decision means that the archdiocese will not be able to hide behind claims of religious liberty in order to avoid liability for the actions of its clergy.
https://anonhq.com/clergys-orgies-can-catholic-church-deny-compensation-victims-sexual-abuse/