/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/DH36EBNJ5BOMPAEIT2IMKTZY4Q.jpg)
Lawmakers around the United States have tried to grant justice to victims of decades-old incidents of child sexual abuse by giving them extra time to file lawsuits. Now some of the defendants in these cases, including church and youth organizations, are finding a safe haven: America’s bankruptcy courts.
In New York, nearly 11,000 cases flooded state courts, many seeking to hold Catholic dioceses responsible for sexual abuse by clergy, after a 2019 law suspended statutes of limitations that would have otherwise barred many of the lawsuits. In response, four New York dioceses that collectively faced more than 500 sexual-abuse claims filed for bankruptcy. That halted the cases — and blocked those from anyone who might sue later — and forced the plaintiffs to negotiate a one-time settlement for all abuse claims in bankruptcy court.
The pattern has taken hold across the United States, a Reuters review of bankruptcies precipitated by mass child sexual-abuse litigation found.
Eddie Murphy proved to be the undisputed king of comedy as the latest recipient of the...
State and local prosecutors in Minnesota charged an ICE officer Thursday with two counts of second-degree...
A gunman shot and killed eight children – including seven of his own – in what...
About 70 vehicles were involved in a major pileup on a section of a Colorado highway,...
