Bankrupt Oakland Diocese, Creditors Dispute Fees Ahead of Trial

A California Catholic diocese’s creditors accused it of improperly challenging their attorneys’ fees in an attempt to gain an unfair litigation advantage in its bankruptcy.

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland’s objection to the fees should be disregarded because it doesn’t identify a specific issue, the committee representing more than 300 child clergy sex abuse survivors said in a Monday motion in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California.

The dispute comes as the Oakland diocese prepares to seek court approval of its proposed bankruptcy exit plan that aims to resolve sex abuse litigation that drove it ...