News

Mar 04, 2011: Sex Abuse Lawyers Plan Ad Campaign

Lawyers representing victims of clergy abuse in the Milwaukee Catholic
Archdiocese announced Thursday that they are launching a monthlong media
campaign to encourage others who have been sexually abused in the archdiocese to
come forward.
At a news conference at the Pfister Hotel, lawyer Jeff Anderson said that
because the archdiocese had filed for bankruptcy protection, there will be a
short time frame for survivors of abuse by priests to come forward and make
their claims.
Therefore, he said, he and other lawyers representing survivors are mounting
an unusual outreach…

Mar 03, 2011: Lawyer: Ex-Wis. archbishop’s letter ‘smoking gun’

MILWAUKEE — A 2003 letter from then-Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan shows he was more concerned about the church’s reputation than the actions of an abusive priest, an attorney for nearly two dozen alleged Wisconsin sex abuse victims claimed Tuesday. But the archdiocese that Dolan now heads said the letter does just the opposite and shows Dolan was deeply concerned and wanted the priest, Franklyn Becker, dismissed. St. Paul-Minn.-based attorney Jeff Anderson obtained the letter, which he released Tuesday, as part of cases he handled in California involving Becker. Anderson has filed 14…

Feb 28, 2011: Groundbreaking Federal Court Decision: Catholic Church Officials Subject to Alien Tort Statute

In a groundbreaking decision, a Federal judge in California today denied a motion by attorneys for the Catholic Church to dismiss a lawsuit based on a unique international law against two Cardinals and a priest for their roles in the sexual abuse of a Mexican man as a boy in 1997, saying the plaintiff has sufficiently plead rape and sexual abuse of children as “…cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment” and crimes against humanity.

Feb 12, 2011: My 28-year battle against the paedophile priests

In 1983, Jeff Anderson was just another lawyer working in St Paul, Minnesota. Then, by chance, the 35-year-old’s career — and life — changed forever when a man walked into his office saying he had been abused by a priest.Soon after taking on the case, Anderson realised the problem was much greater than he had first imagined. It wasn’t just a paedophile priest who was culpable, but also senior bishops who had conspired to cover up the abuse. He promptly sued the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St Paul.The bishops responded with $1m to settle the matter out of court, but Anderson’s client…

Feb 12, 2011: Archdiocese Accused of Moving Funds

An attorney for victims of clergy sex abuse suggested Friday that the
Archdiocese of Milwaukee moved as much as $75 million off its books over
the last six years in an effort to shield it from sex abuse settlements
– allegations denied by the archdiocese.

Feb 11, 2011: New clergy abuse cases surface

Dozens of people have come forward since the Archdiocese of Milwaukee
filed for bankruptcy protection last month alleging they were sexually
abused by priests as children, attorneys for victims said Thursday.

Feb 08, 2011: Unprecedented look at archdiocese finances

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has provided a rare look at its finances with a federal bankruptcy court filing.

Financial statements filed Monday show the archdiocese has nearly $41
million in assets and $24 million in liabilities. The archdiocese filed
for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January after it failed to
reach a settlement with two dozen victims of sexual abuse by Catholic
clergy.

The Journal Sentinel says the court will determine what assets are
available to compensate victims and creditors. Then it will oversee a
reorganization plan to keep the…