Clergy Abuse Survivors Face Sept. 11 Deadline to File Claims in El Paso Diocese Bankruptcy

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse by clergy in the Catholic Diocese of El Paso have until Sept. 11 to file claims in the diocese's bankruptcy case, according to a report from KTSM 9 News republished by the abuse-documentation archive BishopAccountability.org. A local attorney representing survivors told the station that the federal bankruptcy court in West Texas set the date as the final deadline for filing.

According to the report, the diocese sought bankruptcy protection in March amid a wave of lawsuits from people who say they were sexually abused as minors by clergy members, with allegations spanning roughly 1956 to 1982. The attorney and a client identified as a survivor urged anyone abused by clergy in the diocese to come forward before the cutoff, the report said.

Bankruptcy claim deadlines in diocesan cases are typically firm, meaning survivors who do not file by the court's date can lose the ability to participate in any eventual settlement. Full details of the deadline and how to file are in the original coverage.