Oakland Catholic Diocese declares bankruptcy due to sex abuse lawsuits.
The Diocese of Oakland has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to more than 330 lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse. The diocese claims that it cannot shoulder the burden of litigating 330 cases filed under the recent California Assembly Bill 218. The Catholic schools in operation under the Oakland Diocese are part of separate legal entities and are not included in the bankruptcy filing. Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is hoping a bankruptcy judge will reject the Chapter 11 filing and they’ll ask federal and state lawmakers to investigate whether this bankruptcy tactic is an effort to skirt the law.