HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Roman Catholic Diocese of
Helena, Mont., is filing for bankruptcy protection amid lawsuits that
claim clergy members abused 362 children over decades.
Diocese
spokesman Dan Bartleson said in a statement Friday the Chapter 11
bankruptcy reorganization case will help resolve the abuse claims.
The diocese covers western Montana and employs about 200 people.
The
two lawsuits filed in 2011 claim clergy members abused the children
from the 1930s to the 1970s. They claim the diocese shielded the
offenders and knew or should have known the threat they posed.
The
plaintiffs, the diocese and the Ursuline Sisters of the Western
Province held three mediation sessions, but the talks faltered with
challenges by the church’s insurers over the claims they must cover.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Roman Catholic Diocese of
Helena, Mont., is filing for bankruptcy protection amid lawsuits that
claim clergy members abused 362 children over decades.
Diocese
spokesman Dan Bartleson said in a statement Friday the Chapter 11
bankruptcy reorganization case will help resolve the abuse claims.
The diocese covers western Montana and employs about 200 people.
The
two lawsuits filed in 2011 claim clergy members abused the children
from the 1930s to the 1970s. They claim the diocese shielded the
offenders and knew or should have known the threat they posed.
The
plaintiffs, the diocese and the Ursuline Sisters of the Western
Province held three mediation sessions, but the talks faltered with
challenges by the church’s insurers over the claims they must cover.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.