Diocese of Duluth files for bankruptcy

DULUTH, Minn. -- Facing a nearly $5 million jury verdict and numerous pending lawsuits over child sexual abuse committed by priests, the Diocese of Duluth turned to bankruptcy protection Monday.

The Rev. James Bissonette, vicar general of the diocese, announced the filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a statement on the diocese’s website.A St. Paul jury last month found the diocese negligent in the supervision of a priest who was accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy in Itasca County in the 1970s. The diocese was ordered to pay about $4.9 million in damages awarded by the jury. Five other child sexual abuse claims also are pending in State District Court, according to online records.

http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/news/region/3898257-diocese-duluth-files-bankruptcy