Overview

• U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michelle Harner questioned keeping the case in Chapter 11 and warned claims could return to Maryland state courts if progress continues to lag.
• The archdiocese asked to dismiss its bankruptcy after asserting charitable immunity, a doctrine it argues protects donations from being used to pay civil damage awards.
• Church officials proposed a $33 million contribution toward a settlement, which survivors estimate would average about $35,000 per claimant and deem unacceptable.
• The Official Committee representing more than 900 survivors countered with a nearly $890 million resolution and urged dismissal of the federal case.
• Maryland’s 2023 Child Victims Act spurred thousands of lawsuits statewide, including roughly 298 additional cases filed against the Baltimore archdiocese.