Judge denies Twin Cities archdiocese bankruptcy plans
ST. PAUL, Minn. — An attorney for victims of clergy sex abuse said Thursday that a judge has ordered all sides back to mediation in the yearslong bankruptcy case of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, but he said the ruling will quicken the process of getting payments to victims.
The judge denied both the archdiocese’s reorganization plan and a competing plan submitted by a creditors’ committee before ordering all sides back into negotiations, St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson said. The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy protection in 2015, as it faced an onslaught of new abuse allegations.
Anderson said the judge’s decision means “there will be a speedier resolution” than either plan could have offered.
In a statement Thursday, the chair of the archdiocese’s reorganization task force, Tom Abood, said the decision “bolsters our resolve to move forward in the bankruptcy process.” Abood said the archdiocese looks forward to participating in mediation “to bring a prompt and fair resolution.”