Statement of Attorney Jeff Anderson
(New Orleans, LA) – Today the Creditors Committee in the Archdiocese of New Orleans Chapter 11 bankruptcy case asked the Court to throw the case out of bankruptcy because the Archdiocese filed the case “in bad faith.”
The legal filing stated that the bankruptcy was filed to:
- Stop a discovery process that threatened to publicly expose information showing the Archdiocese’s mishandling and cover-up of abuse;
- Avoid a deposition of Archbishop Aymond scheduled for May 28, 2020; and,
- Evade upcoming evidentiary hearings on prescription defenses, with a change to a federal forum that will not provide plaintiffs with the same procedure.
The Creditors Committee is asking for the bankruptcy case to be dismissed and allow the individual state court lawsuits to move forward in state court.
“Bishops around the country have used bankruptcy as a tool to stop survivors from exposing the massive cover-up of child sex abuse by the Bishops,” said attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents several survivors with claims against the Archdiocese of New Orleans. “The time for these legal tactics is over. The time for the truth to be exposed is now.”
A hearing on the committee’s motion to dismiss the bankruptcy case is set for August 20, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. (CT)