Lawyers for the committee representing survivors of child sexual abuse perpetrated by the Baltimore Catholic Archdiocese say they feel confident they have a plan that will bring to a close the two-and-a-half years of bankruptcy negotiations between the parties and bring a payout to claimants.
In a town hall Tuesday night, Ed Caldie, a lawyer with Stinson LLP, told survivors he is cautiously optimistic that the case will come to a close soon.
“We think we have a plan,” Caldie said. “I can't tell you more than that. I can't even promise you the plan will work, but you know what I can promise you? We lost sleep over it. I'm talking about a strategy when I say a plan. We have a way to get out of this case that we think will work.”
Caldie noted that he believes the survivors will get an “above average” payout from the bankruptcy.
According to BishopAccountability.org the average settlement per survivor in the U.S. is $268,000.
“I think this case is an unusually large one in terms of the money that the church has and the real estate that the church has,” Caldie said.
The Archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in October 2023, just before the Maryland Child Victims Act went into effect, which would have allowed hundreds or thousands of survivors to independently sue the church.
Survivors have been frustrated with the progress of the bankruptcy case, with some writing letters to the judge about their fear that they will never see an end to the case.
Many of the survivors are older adults and fear they will die before the case ends.
To that end, the committee asked to dismiss the bankruptcy case last September.
It withdrew that request after the church agreed not to continue its bid for charitable immunity, a legal tactic that would have shielded the church from paying settlements and left the responsibility to the insurance companies, limiting the amount survivors would receive.
One individual survivor is still pursuing a dismissal, claiming they have information that shows the church is not being forthcoming about all of its assets.
The court is looking into the matter, Caldie said.
Last week, the committee filed two motions. The first would require full financial transparency into the 31 parishes the Archdiocese is planning on closing.
The other, objects to the church’s attempt to protect parishes from the bankruptcy case.