California Dioceses Consider Bankruptcy Amid Sex Abuse Claims

Several California Catholic dioceses are considering bankruptcy to deal with their liabilities, facing a years-long reckoning with an avalanche of child sexual abuse lawsuits.

Abuse victims filed hundreds lawsuits after the state of California paused for three years its statute of limitation on claims for child sexual abuse. The pause ended on Dec. 31, 2022.

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Santa Rosa in Northern California filed Chapter 11 on March 13, becoming the only one in the state to take the leap so far. But the Oakland, San Diego, and Sacramento dioceses also have said recently they’re considering bankruptcy due ...