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.
Karen said in response to the bankruptcy filing, "Fr. Flickinger, had over 100 accusations of molestation. We know what my son told us, and we know that the priest had access to Jason at my parents’ anniversary celebration. I just can’t see any legitimate reason why the Diocese of Fresno did not promptly resolve his lawsuit if they truly cared about helping victims."
Jason's mother continued, "After halting the progress of these lawsuits for over a year, the bankruptcy filing will reset the needle yet again, with even more delay for the remaining survivors. Shame on them!"
On August 6, 2021, the Diocese of Fresno published a list of accused clergymen with 63 names. However, the treasurer of SNAP’s Board of Directors, Dan McNevin, has been tracking the recent lawsuits. According to Dan, litigation records show an additional 35 priests and staffers with accusations, some of which stretch back to before the Monterey Diocese broke off from Fresno in 1967. In all, SNAP believes that Fresno employed at least 98 priests and staffers accused of molesting children. Dan coupled this information with records of parish leadership in the Diocese, and concluded that in some years 40% of the parishes hosted at least one accused cleric.
Tod Brown was ordained in 1963 in the Monterey-Fresno diocese. After the diocese split in 1967, Fr. Brown became a prominent priest in the Monterey Diocese. In December 1988, he was named bishop of Boise, Idaho, where he worked until he was appointed bishop of Orange, California, in 1998. Bishop Brown retired from that position in 2012. The bishop was accused of molesting a boy in the Fresno Diocese in 1965, and is named in one of the lawsuits filed in the recent civil window. Any limits on discovery of Fresno’s abuse records that may be imposed by the bankruptcy will not only prevent a complete picture of abuse in that diocese, but will also impact what is known about child sexual abuse in Monterey. We suspect a similar impact will be felt in some of the other cases.
This bankruptcy, and the earlier delay between announcing the Diocese's intent to file and actually filing, have many advantages for Bishop Joseph Brennan and his Diocese. For those survivors who filed lawsuits hoping for restitution for their suffering, and for information as to why they found themselves in the path of a predator, there is no upside to this cruel legal tactic. To repeat our earlier observation from last May, the Diocese of Fresno is indeed bankrupt, morally bankrupt.
Contact: Karen Lowart, SNAP California ([email protected], 559-999-8154), Dan McNevin, SNAP Board of Directors 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)
