San Diego Under Spotlight (USA)

The Catholic Diocese of San Diego is due in court Wednesday, just a week after filing for bankruptcy protection against a string of lawsuits claiming abuse by priests.

It was just a week ago when Bishop Robert Brom announced he had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to put off going to trial in more than 140 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests.

Bishop Brom says the decision was made because any damages awarded early in a trial could deplete resources, leaving nothing for other victims.San Diego is now the fifth diocese to choose the option.

In its bankruptcy petition, the diocese listed total assets of $200 million and debts of the same amount. The move would allow the diocese to restructure its financial affairs, giving a federal court authority to supervise expenses.

Lawyers for the alleged victims have criticized the bankruptcy filing, saying the diocese was dodging its legal responsibilities and preventing the full disclosure of the facts involving the sex abuse claims.

Many of the alleged victims are expected to rally Wednesday afternoon to march to bankruptcy court.

Names of county's clergy sex abuse victims to remain under wraps

SAN DIEGO -- The names of people suing the Catholic Diocese of San Diego over allegations of sex abuse will be kept secret in federal proceedings tied to the diocese's bankruptcy filing -- unless the victims want their names made public.

The decision to keep the names under wraps came during a hearing in a San Diego federal bankruptcy court Wednesday.

An attorney for some of the victims said he was pleased with the decision and was concerned that the church may have tried to seal documents containing not only the victims' names, but also the details of how the diocese allegedly covered up abuse and molestation by clergy.

"The only thing that will be held back now is the names (of the victims)," said Raymond Boucher, a Los Angeles area attorney representing about a third of the victims in the local cases. "That is exactly what we had hoped for."

The local diocese filed for federal bankruptcy protection last week, a move that brought a temporary halt to more than 140 pending lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests. The bankruptcy filing came on the eve of the first of the civil trials against the local diocese.The decision to file for bankruptcy followed negotiations that failed to produce a settlement in the civil suits, which were filed in state court.

In the state civil suits, many of the victims accusing the church of covering for pedophile priests are suing under fictitious names such as John Doe. In the federal bankruptcy suit, the names of the victims will also remain under wraps.

Attorneys for the diocese and some of its creditors planned to be back in court this morning for the judge to decide whether the diocese will be allowed to continue spending money to finish building an Otay Mesa-area Catholic high school.

Construction on that school, named Mater Dei, is about 82 percent complete and is set to be done by July.

The school is supposed to open in the fall with an estimated 850 students."We are surprised and disappointed that some of the schools are at issue," diocese attorney Micheal Webb said after the hearing.

But attorneys for the victims say they are upset that the diocese entered the contract to build to school in 2005, while in the middle of settlement negotiations with victims.

The San Diego Diocese, which covers San Diego and Imperial counties, has 98 churches, runs 50 schools and has nearly 1 million parishioners.

Attorneys Question San Diego Diocese School Construction

SAN DIEGO -- Attorneys representing more than 140 people who say they were sexually abused by priests raised questions Wednesday about a $60 million high school under construction by the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego.

The lawyers are critical of the church for embarking on the expansion project in 2005 after settlement negotiations were already under way with the alleged abuse victims.

No settlement has been reached in any of the cases. The diocese filed for bankruptcy last week, hours before the first civil suit was set to begin.

The diocese said bankruptcy would help pay victims of sex abuse for their damages, but protestors claim the church's real motive was to avoid public trials and testimony by alleged victims.

In a court hearing on Wednesday, plaintiffs' attorneys asked Judge Louise DeCarl Adler not to release funds to the diocese for its new Mater Dei high school campus until more information is provided about how the project will affect the amount of money available to compensate abuse victims.

Lawyers for the diocese are asking for the money to be released immediately so that construction can be completed on schedule. The new campus is slated to open next fall and is already accepting enrollment.

A hearing on the issue is set for Thursday morning in downtown San Diego.

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