News

Archdiocese clears priest in sex abuse; Vatican may take up another's case

May 10, 2012

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

A Waukesha County Catholic priest, who was placed on leave because of a 20-year-old sex abuse allegation, is being returned to ministry after Archbishop Jerome Listecki ruled the allegation unsubstantiated, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee announced Thursday.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/151004365.html#!page=1&pageSize=10&sort=newestfirst

Milwaukee Archdiocese, creditors ordered to negotiate

May 3, 2012

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

The judge in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy case has ordered the church and its creditors to begin "meaningful settlement negotiations." And, depending on their progress, she could order them into mediation aimed at hammering out an agreement as early as June.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/lawyers-in-milwaukee-archdiocese-bankruptcy-case-seek-mediator-threaten-to-sue-8356puk-149333935.html

Analysis: Wisconsin counties fall short of child abuse standards

April 28, 2012

By Adam Rodewald | Gannett Wisconsin Media Investigative Team

Two-year-old Jovani Martinez was killed over spilled milk.

In March 2010, the 40-year-old boyfriend of the toddler’s mother became enraged and punched the little boy repeatedly for shaking his bottle and sprinkling milk on his newborn sister. The blows perforated the Racine boy’s intestines, cracked his ribs, and lacerated his liver and pancreas. Jovani’s mother waited several days before taking him to the hospital, where he died.

Read more: http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20120429/APC0101/304290072/Holes-safety-net?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Lawyers in Milwaukee archdiocese bankruptcy case seek mediator

April 27, 2012

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

Lawyers for creditors in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy on Friday threatened to sue to recover $35 million it says the archdiocese fraudulently transferred to a parish trust before filing for Chapter 11 and asked the judge to appoint a mediator as a first step toward a settlement of the 14-month-old case.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/lawyers-in-milwaukee-archdiocese-bankruptcy-case-seek-mediator-threaten-to-sue-8356puk-149333935.html

Archdiocese files new round of objections to block sex abuse claims

April 26, 2012

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has filed a new round of motions in its bankruptcy case in an effort to throw out certain claims filed by individuals who say they were molested as children by clergy or others associated with the archdiocese.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/149128065.html?page=1#!page=1&viewAll=0&sort=newestfirst

Victims' attorney appeals ruling on sealed testimony of bishops

April 23, 2012

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

An attorney for 350 alleged victims in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy has appealed the judge's April 5 decision to keep sealed depositions of retired Archbishop Rembert Weakland and Richard Sklba, along with related documents.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/148554615.html

Judge won't unseal documents in Milwaukee archdiocesan bankruptcy case

April 05, 2012

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley on Thursday morning denied a motion by attorneys to unseal certain documents in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's federal bankruptcy case, saying the material is scandalous and could potentially identify victims.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/judge-wont-unseal-documents-in-milwaukee-archdiocesan-bankruptcy-case-2s4st2c-146299095.html

Judge to weigh unsealing archdiocese records

April 04, 2012

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

The judge in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy will hear arguments Thursday on whether to unseal evidence expected to shed light on the scope of the church sex abuse scandal in southeastern Wisconsin and how the archdiocese handled allegations involving children over decades.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/judge-to-weigh-unsealing-records-5h4rdak-146208085.html

Atonement requires revealing the truth

April 03, 2012

By Peter Isely and James Connell

In a long-awaited court motion to be heard on Thursday in federal bankruptcy court in Milwaukee, 570 victims/survivors of childhood rape and sexual assault by Catholic clergy and other church personnel will petition Judge Susan V. Kelley to release the sealed testimony of the two former Milwaukee bishops most responsible for decades of concealing and transferring known offender priests, Archbishop Rembert Weakland and Bishop Richard Sklba.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/atonement-requires-revealing-the-truth-rh4rudc-146015905.html

Group calls for all priest-abuse documents to be released

March 29, 2012

By Myra Sanchick and Brandon Cruz

A group representing survivors of priest abuse is asking that the Milwaukee Archdiocese open all its documents relating to its investigations and recent depositions in court. This, on a day of reflection and remorse for the church.

Read more: http://fox6now.com/2012/03/29/group-calls-for-all-priest-abuse-documents-to-be-released/

Waukesha priest put on leave after sexual assault allegation

March 18, 2012

By Meg Jones of the Journal Sentinel

Father Mark Molling of St. Paul Parish in Genesee Depot was placed on leave while the Archdiocese of Milwaukee investigates an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor in the mid-1990s, according to an email sent by Archbishop Jerome Listecki.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/waukesha-priest-put-on-leave-after-sexual-assault-allegation-6j4klep-143272776.html

Sex-abuse allegations in bankruptcy case reveal no safety crisis, judge says

February 29, 2012

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

The judge in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy case said Wednesday that she sees no current child safety crisis in the 550-plus sex-abuse claims filed in the case, suggesting that claims to the contrary - by victims' advocates and lawmakers - distort statements made by attorneys in a Feb. 9 hearing.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/sex-abuse-allegations-in-bankruptcy-case-reveal-no-safety-crisis-judge-says-184copn-140911043.html

Archdiocese Bankruptcy Case Heads Back To Court

February 29, 2012

wisn.com

The bankruptcy case of the Milwaukee Archdiocese heads back to a federal courtroom Wednesday as an advocacy group has asked the state's attorney general to review abuse claims.

Read more: http://www.wisn.com/r/30567998/detail.html

Victims' attorneys move to unseal certain documents in archdiocese bankruptcy

February 28, 2012

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

Attorneys for sex abuse victims in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy are asking the court to unseal thousands of pages of documents they say will show the breadth and scope of the sex abuse crisis, and alleged coverup, in the local church over the last half century.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/140722403.html

Archdiocese seeks court ruling to refute abuse allegation

February 21, 2012

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee signaled Tuesday that it will move to deny an assertion by a victims' attorney that claims filed in its bankruptcy detail 8,000 incidents of sexual abuse and name as many as 100 offenders not previously identified by the archdiocese.

The move comes a day after nine legislators asked Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen to investigate the alleged offenses and anyone who might have concealed sex crimes against children.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/archdiocese-seeks-court-ruling-to-refute-abuse-allegation-0449mnn-139920953.html

9 Democrats call for church abuse probe

February 20, 2012

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

Nine Democratic lawmakers called on the state's attorney general Monday to investigate 8,000 alleged sex offenses and as many as 100 previously unidentified offenders an attorney says are described in documents filed in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/9-democrats-call-for-church-abuse-probe-v5497d5-139778683.html

Bankrupt Wis. Church Tries To Limit Abuse Claims

February 16, 2012

By Chuck Quirmbach

Nine Catholic archdioceses around the country have filed for bankruptcy over the past decade, including the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. In each case, this followed multimillion-dollar claims from victims sexually abused by priests and other Church employees.

Read more: http://www.npr.org/2012/02/16/146995458/bankrupt-wis-church-tries-to-limit-abuse-claims

8,000 instances of abuse alleged in Archdiocese bankruptcy hearing

February 9, 2012

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

Sealed documents filed in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy identify at least 8,000 instances of child sexual abuse and 100 alleged offenders - 75 of them priests - who have not previously been named by the archdiocese, a victims' attorney said Thursday.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/archdiocese-bankruptcy-judge-allows-two-claims-to-stand-me44pue-139044534.html

Abuse victims missed timeline for claims, archdiocese argues

February 8, 2012

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee will argue Thursday in court that victims of clergy sexual abuse had enough information on the church's handling of cases to have filed fraud claims years earlier, according to newly unsealed documents in the archdiocese's bankruptcy.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/abuse-victims-should-have-suspected-fraud-archdiocese-argues-in-court-case-ef411d1-138985599.html

Archdiocese asks judge to weigh objections to claims

February 2, 2012

Associated Press

Milwaukee's Roman Catholic archdiocese will ask a judge on Thursday to throw out hundreds of sexual abuse claims that have thrust it into bankruptcy, triggering a court battle and rekindling anger at the church's mishandling of abusive clergy.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/08/usa-church-abuse-bankruptcy-idUSL2E8D7DQ320120208

Victims caught up in Milwaukee's 'shell game'

January 31, 2012

By Mark Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

Archdiocese's move to shield cemetery assets pits the living against the dead

Dead Catholics have a vested interest in reducing settlements to clergy abuse survivors in Milwaukee, thanks to a shift of $55.6 million on the church balance sheets by then-Archbishop Timothy Dolan in 2008.

Read more: http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/victims-caught-milwaukees-shell-game

Archdiocese's strategy might disqualify abuse victims

January 13, 2012

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

With just weeks to go before a Feb. 1 deadline in its bankruptcy, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is casting a wide net in search of clergy sex abuse victims who might seek to file claims, publishing ads in state and national newspapers and asking its parishes and schools to spread the word.

At the same time, victims advocates say, the archdiocese is embarking on a legal strategy that could result in the vast majority of the nearly 200 sex abuse claims filed to date being thrown out of court, leaving those victims ineligible for a financial settlement from the church - and perhaps changing the trajectory of the bankruptcy case.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/archdioceses-strategy-might-disqualify-abuse-victims-em3nrlg-137263853.html

Priests join victims in call for justice

December 27, 2011

By Mark Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

Calling it a historic chapter in the history of the clergy sexual abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, a group of victims and priests has banded together to call for more transparency from church officials and to urge other victims to come forward and file for restitution in federal bankruptcy court before a Feb. 1 deadline.

The priests and victims have been meeting quietly for roughly a year since Peter Isely, the Midwest director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, approached Father James Connell after a news conference.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/victim-therapy-fund-proposed-8d358p9-134296013.html

Archdiocese explores insurance buyback option

November 21, 2011

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

Insurance companies could pay a portion of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's sex-abuse settlements, despite court rulings finding them not liable, under a strategy being considered by the church's bankruptcy lawyers, according to a document filed in the case.

The archdiocese appears to be exploring the possibility of a so-called insurance policy buyback, in which an insurer buys back its policies, leaving the insured with a pool of money, and protecting itself against potentially greater losses - in this case, if the court rulings are overturned on appeal.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/archdiocese-explores-insurance-buyback-option-k23456f-134296533.html

Archdiocese to seek permission for victim therapy fund

November 21, 2011

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee will ask the U.S. Bankruptcy judge for permission to create a $300,000 fund that would be used to finance counseling and therapy for sex-abuse victims whose claims are disallowed by the court for statute of limitations and other reasons, Archbishop Jerome Listecki said in an email letter Monday to local Catholics.

Listecki said church lawyers will soon file motions asking U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley to rule on the admissibility of certain claims, but that the church will continue to minister to victims whether their claims are approved or not.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/victim-therapy-fund-proposed-8d358p9-134296013.html

A way for bishops to begin rebuilding trust

October 24, 2011

By James E. Connell

An excellent opportunity exists for the Catholic bishops in the United States to begin rebuilding the people's trust in them that has been severely damaged because of the Catholic clergy sexual abuse crisis. This opportunity is found in the audit process to verify that each diocese actually is in compliance with the requirements of the charter that was originally established by the bishops in 2002 to enhance the protection of children from sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.

Remember, whether committed by force or by seduction, every act of sexual abuse of a minor by a priest is a crime, both in civil law and in church law. So in discussing sexual abuse of minors by priests, we are not talking about the actions of schoolyard bullies. We are talking about the actions of criminals. This must be the starting point for addressing this crisis and scandal in the church.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/a-way-for-bishops-to-begin-rebuilding-trust-132499843.html

A safe haven for sex abuse survivors

September 19, 2011

By Felicia Thomas-Lynn | Faces of Hope

It was Victoria Olszewski's pursuit of higher education later in life that led her to unlock the secrets of an extremely painful past - more than four decades later.

During one of her classes, the mother of three and grandmother of five, who is working toward a degree in social work, learned about the different forms of child sexual abuse, including pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/130174143.html

Creditors' attorneys in archdiocese bankruptcy attack cemetery trust

September 14, 2011

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

Attorneys for the creditors in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy are attacking the validity of its $50 million cemetery trust, saying it was created in 2007 to defraud victims of clergy sex abuse. The creditors committee, composed of victim-survivors, filed a counterclaim Tuesday against the trust and its sole trustee, Archbishop Jerome Listecki, asking the bankruptcy court to void the 2008 transfer of $55 million into the account, and to declare the trust invalid.

If the trust is declared valid, it argues, the court should require the archdiocese to trace all deposits to ensure that assets legally available to pay settlements are not commingled with cemetery funds.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/129825873.html

News from around the world on the Milwaukee Archdiocese Bankruptcy:

www.AndersonAdvocates.com • info@AndersonAdvocates.com • 414.758.6145 • 1.888.567.5557

2600 North Mayfair Road, Suite 1030 • Milwaukee, WI 53226

Jeff Anderson & Associates does not intend this site to provide legal advice or to invite the creation of an attorney/client relationship. Jeff Anderson & Associates makes no claims, promises or guarantees based on the information contained herein. Jeff Anderson & Associates attorneys are licensed to practice law in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. See attorney profiles for individual licensing information. An attorney can only legally practice in states where they are licensed. Counsel responsible for this advertisement include Jeff Anderson and Paul Scoptur. Jeff Anderson & Associates | 366 Jackson, Ste 100 | St. Paul, MN 55101