Catholic Dioceses Across US File for Bankruptcy Amidst Sex Abuse Lawsuits

The Roman Catholic Diocese in Albany has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to the financial impact of hundreds of child sexual abuse lawsuits it faces. The Albany Diocese is the fifth of eight in the Empire State to declare bankruptcy in the wake of a flood of cases filed between 2019 and 2021 during the Child Victims Act window allowing survivors to sue regardless of whether the claims were outside of the statute of limitations. The bankruptcy move comes after months of negotiations between the church and plaintiffs, whose cases allege the diocese allowed the abuse to occur and then covered it up.