Federal judge denies request to open sealed records in Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s bankruptcy; SNAP is saddened by the decision

For Immediate Release: October 3, 2024

This week, a federal judge denied the Wisconsin Attorney General’s request to review the Milwaukee Archdiocese’s sealed bankruptcy records as part of an investigation into child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church . SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is saddened by this ruling, which in our view does not make the protection of children the priority.

Attorney General Josh Kaul argued in his request that the sealed claims meant that some abusers could have gotten away with their crimes, and that some survivors never got the justice they deserved. We agree wholeheartedly with AG Kaul, and we hope that, if he is able, he will appeal this short-sighted ruling.

In response to the decision, the attorney for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee said that, “Judge [G. Michael] reasserts the bankruptcy court’s finding at the time that because the abuse happened so long ago in the 1950s-70s, there are no longer any public safety concerns."

Sadly, it is simply not true that those who abuse boys and girls cease to become a threat as they age. In fact, child predators very rarely stop without outside intervention. This ruling may very well mean that today’s children could be harmed by some of these unidentified men and women.

The Archdiocesan attorney also asserted that a review of the records “would have been devastating to abuse survivors who see this case as closed, and want their claim kept under seal by the court.” We are incredulous that the Catholic Church purports to speak on behalf of those victimized. Most, if not all, only suffered life-long injuries because of decisions made by that entity.

In fact, in our experience, most survivors come forward because they do not want another child to experience what happened to them. We suspect that most, if not all, would welcome seeing their abusers held accountable for their crimes.

Protecting other boys and girls from being abused, and learning who made the decisions that resulted in a child predator working in their parish or school is important to survivors. However, as this case illustrates, the bankruptcy courts do not normally concern themselves with either issue.

We are concerned as a result of this ruling important information will remain hidden from parishioners and the public. We believe that churches and communities are safer when information about child predators is disclosed. We do not think it is in the public interest for information about men and women, regardless of where they hunted, to remain hidden.

In the bankruptcies filed by entities like the Catholic Church, it seems to us that federal law is being used to protect institutions that covered up child sexual abuse, particularly when information remains hidden. While we hope that AG Kaul can, and will, appeal this week’s decision, it also seems to us long past time for the federal government to reconsider this unintended use of the bankruptcy law.

CONTACT: 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)

SNAP Network is a GuideStar Gold Participant