Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Reorgainzation

The Milwaukee (WI) Archdiocese yesterday became the eighth Roman Catholic diocese in the United States to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. The New York Times reports that the filing comes after the collapse of negotiations last month between lawyers for 23 individuals who have sued or are threatening to sue for clergy sexual abuse. Also in November a state appellate court ruled that insurance companies are not bound to contribute to a settlement.  The Archdiocese has offered a settlement of $4.6 million [corrected], but victims insist that there also be a series of reforms including release of the names and personnel files of every priest accused of abuse. The Archdiocese says it has released the names of priests that have been found by independent review boards to have been "credibly accused." The Archdiocese has posted a web page that includes links to extensive information on the reorganization.