Diocese of Duluth Chapter 11 Settlement

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2015, a month after a 4.9 million dollar jury verdict exposed it to a further wave of clergy sexual abuse claims. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Kressel gave final approval to the settlement on 21 October 2019, closing a bankruptcy process of nearly four years. The two contemporary accounts of the same plan report different totals: MPR News states 39.2 million dollars for 125 claimants, CBS Minnesota states 40 million dollars for 120 claimants; both figures and both claimant counts are recorded here, the variance named, rather than picking one. The diocese, its more than 70 parishes and several Catholic entities in the region contribute about 10 million dollars toward the settlement, with the remainder coming from insurance. As part of the plan the diocese agreed to release its files on 37 priests it classifies as credibly accused and to incorporate further child protection protocols.