Official SNAP Media Statements
Diocese of Fresno finally files for bankruptcy; SNAP questions the timing
For Immediate Release: July 1, 2025
After announcing their intention to file for bankruptcy last May, the Diocese of Fresno finally did so today. SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, wonders at the timing. Just yesterday, liaison counsel for the plaintiffs in the coordinated NorCal clergy cases, Rick Simons of Furtado, Jaspovice and Simmons ([email protected] , 510-917-2169), made a motion asking the court to sanction the diocesan attorney, Mart Oller, for the unacceptable delay in starting the bankruptcy process. Attached to the motion was Rick's Declaration, an 83-page document, including 12 Exhibits.
At the time of the initial bankruptcy announcement, there was a global mediation in progress between the Diocese and its survivors, and twelve cases had been identified for bellwether trials. The announcement disrupted the progress of the mediation, even without ever being filed. Plaintiffs’ attorneys suspect that the Diocese may have used the delay to move assets, thus protecting them from distribution to survivors of child sexual abuse. If true, the final payouts for these heinous crimes will be correspondingly reduced.
Delaying the settlement of lawsuits is a well-known tactic of the Catholic Church. When the Diocese announced its intention to file for bankruptcy last year, SNAP issued this statement, outlining the downside of this decision for survivors, particularly for those who are too young to come forward before the deadline to file claims closes. We stand by it.
In addition, the life-long impact of child sexual abuse already makes victims more at risk of an early death than the general population, and delayed disclosure means that many of the survivors who filed lawsuits in the recent civil window are likely to be older in any case.
Out of the 153 victims who filed lawsuits against Fresno, Rick's declaration includes information about the death of three of them in Exhibit 12. We suspect that more deaths have occurred. SNAP believes that this is exactly why the Church drags its feet in resolving these cases. For every victim that is no longer alive, information about their abusers and the enablers may be lost, and the subsequent settlements are, again, likely to be less.
Karen Lowart's son Jason, who was sexually abused by Fr. Donald Flickinger, when Jason was only 4 years old, is among those who did not live to see even a small measure of justice. Jason died from an accidental fentanyl overdose on November 5, 2023, and Karen reached out to SNAP shortly after. The bereaved mother came into possession of a chilling video earlier this year that supports Jason’s outcry against the clergyman. Jason' death certificate is among the three included in Rick's Exhibit 12. He was only 27 at the time of his death.
