OREGON ARCHDIOCESE FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST INSURERS:

October 11, 2004

The Archdiocese of Portland filed a complaint in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in an attempt to force insurance companies to reimburse it for the $53 million it paid in settlements concerning clergy sex abuse, according to the Associated Press. The archdiocese filed for protection from creditors earlier in the year and is also petitioning the court to make insurance companies obligated to pay future claims. Nine companies are named in the complaint and there are a number of unnamed companies that insured the archdiocese from 1941 and 2000. The archdiocese is also seeking help paying for legal defense in the clergy sex-abuse lawsuits. No explanation was given for why insurers withheld payments.