A Catholic organization in California filed a bankruptcy because of numerous lawsuits related to sex abuse claims. Many of these allegations even date back as far as the 1940s.
The Roman Catholic group is partly blaming a change in California's state law in 2019. On Tuesday, Jan. 2, the Franciscan Friars of California announced that it filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on Dec. 31.
The religious organization filed bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Oakland. Here are other things you need to know about the issue of the Franciscan Friars.
California: Catholic Org Files Bankruptcy Due to Sex Abuse-Related Lawsuits
According to Fox News' latest report, the Californian Roman Catholic organization argued that they are facing almost 100 lawsuits linked to sex abuse accusations because of the state law change in 2019.
The Franciscan Friars explained that the adjustment made in the state law allowed abuse survivors to file decades-old complaints, which were supposed to be prohibited because of the expiration of the statute of limitations.
The Catholic organization's officials said that they were overwhelmed by the number of cases filed against them; both in terms of their ability to fairly compensate all abuse survivors and the human cost.
"All of the claims are based on abuse that allegedly occurred at least 27 years ago, with several claims dating back to the 1940s," said the Franciscan Friars of California.
The religious group said that they are facing a total of 94 claims; most of these are accusing friars who are already dead.
"Of the six living friars, all have been long removed permanently from all public ministry and ministerial environments, and are living under strict third-party supervision," said the Franciscan Friars.
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Issues With Removing Statute of Limitations
The change in California state law in 2019 that is causing problems for the Franciscan Friars is also quite the same as the adjustment that the New York state made.
Recently, BBC News reported that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for people who want to file sexual assault complaints.
Although many advocates support the temporary Adults Survivors Act, many experts warned that it is leading to rising numbers of sexual abuse lawsuits, which could be false.
They added that these plaintiffs might just be taking advantage of the Adults Survivors Act to generate quick money by falsely accusing other individuals, especially celebrities and politicians.
