Catholic Diocese of Oakland offers pathetic settlement to survivors; SNAP reacts
For Immediate Release: November 12, 2024
On Friday, the Catholic Diocese of Oakland filed a plan of reorganization with the bankruptcy court. In a press release, the Diocese said it will create a trust for sexual abuse survivors worth between $160 and $198 million to pay out 345 claims. SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, called the settlement offer “pathetic.”
Court documents show the initial installment is only $65 million. The Treasurer of SNAP’s Board of Directors, Dan McNevin said, “I think it's pretty pathetic. It's low. This is a really, really wealthy Diocese and there are a lot of victims. I can't imagine that creditors' counsel will accept such a low number that just calculates to about nothing per victim."
Cathy, an Oakland sexual abuse survivor echoed Dan’s reaction, “I believe the Diocese will pay the lowest amount they can. They are before this court looking for a discount on my pain. On our pain. The church protects its money and reputation more than its children. No amount of money will make me whole and restore the child that was damaged in that one moment.”
Victim attorneys Rick Simons and Jeff Anderson also pushed back. Rick said the offer was "a definite message and the message is 'You are not important.' The message is 'We don't care!'" Jeff called the proposal “a scam and a sham.”
The 330 innocent victims who have filed lawsuits were members of the Oakland Diocese. They were baptized and confirmed, worked as altar servers, or attended Catholic schools. Their families trusted the priests who assaulted their children, and those families donated time and money to the Diocese. They helped to compensate the clergy who damaged their children's lives.
We think it is also important to recognize that the Diocese is not compensating all the victims that their immoral actions created. It is not unusual for survivors to succumb to suicide. Moreover, not everyone was ready or able to come forward before the bankruptcy claim deadline. However, once the bankruptcy closes, all other claims are extinguished. Even a six-year old whose assaults ended before the bankruptcy was filed, would be prevented from recovering restitution for their damages.
The Diocese of Oakland is surely morally bankrupt, it seems to us. The Diocese owns a Cathedral worth $200 million. It has hundreds of acres of land in Piedmont, Orinda, Lafayette, and Danville. Except for character and integrity, it is not poor. Our hope is that the federal bankruptcy court will see through this sham of an offer.
Contact: Dan McNevin, SNAP Treasurer ([email protected], 415-341-6417), Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Director ([email protected], 925-708-6175, Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Interim Executive Director ([email protected], 814-341-8386)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 35 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
