伯納德·孔登和吉姆·馬斯蒂安 2019年12月2日報導 紐約（美聯社）-在另一天漫長的一天結束後，試圖簽約指控羅馬天主教教會遭受性侵侵犯的新客戶，律師亞當·斯拉特（Adam Slater）凝視著他在曼哈頓高層辦公室的窗戶，這是紐約市的重要標誌之一。教堂，聖帕特里克大教堂。

“我想知道這值多少錢？” 他沉思。 在美國各地，像斯萊特（Slater）這樣的律師正爭先恐後地提起新一輪訴訟，指控神職人員進行性虐待，這要歸功於15個州制定的規則，這些規則延長或中止了訴訟時效，以使索賠可以追溯到數十年前。

美聯社的報導發現，訴訟的氾濫可能會超過該國神職人員性虐待危機之前所見的任何事情，可能會有5,000多個新案件，賠付額超過40億美元。

在紐約，加利福尼亞和新澤西等人口眾多的天主教要塞中，這是一個財務考核，在八個州中最靠前的“追訴窗口”允許無論年齡有多大都允許進行追訴曾被性侵犯。

從未有如此多的州採取幾乎一致的行動來解除限制，一旦人們沒有在一定年齡（通常是20多歲）提起童年被性侵犯的指控，這些限制便使之被拒之門外。

天主教信徒在拜訪紐約羅馬天主教會的偉大標誌之一聖帕特里克大教堂期間在祈禱站點燃蠟燭。（美聯社照片/貝貝托·馬修斯）

律師們通過電視廣告和廣告牌來爭取客戶，他們問：“你被教堂性侵了嗎？” 天主教教區雖然擔心捍衛這種過時的要求有困難，但正在考慮破產，賠償受害者賠償金，甚至動用寶貴的房地產來維持生計。

聖地亞哥現年71歲的南希·霍林·洛內克（Nancy Holling-Lonnecker）說：“這對我來說是一個全新的開始，他計劃利用加利福尼亞即將推出的三年此類合宜的銷售機會。她的要求可以追溯到1950年代，當時她說一位牧師從7歲開始就在供認室中多次強姦她。 她說：“現在挺身而出的倖存者一生都在堅忍這種可怕的經歷。” “這些年來，由於沒有地方可以忍受這些情緒，他們將這些情緒塞滿了。

” 現在有。 ___ 美聯社對十幾個律師和神職人員濫用監管機構進行的採訪提供了廣泛的估計，但許多人表示，他們預計僅在紐約，新澤西和加利福尼亞的教堂就將至少有5,000起新案子，導致潛在的支出可能超過自從神職人員的性虐待在1980年代首次曝光以來，已支付40億美元。

全面報導： 估算 律師們承認很難預測會發生什麼，但是一些人認為，自2003年以來，每位兒童遭受性虐待案件的賠付可能超過350,000美元的全國平均水平。最重要的基準是，上一次加利福尼亞開放時，教會平均為每起案件支付130萬美元一個為期一年的窗口，適用於2003年。

這僅在三個大天主教教區中提供的總支出範圍就從18億美元到高達60億美元不等。 一些律師認為，支出可能受到#MeToo運動影響，對被指控名人的公開羞辱以及去年爆炸性的賓夕法尼亞大陪審團最近引起的對性侵的重新認識的嚴重影響，去年的報告發現300名牧師在該州性侵了1,000多名兒童。七十年。自那時以來，近20個州的總檢察長對自己的案件進行了調查。

左律師亞當·斯萊特（Adam Slater）在其客戶拉蒙·梅爾卡多（Ramon Mercado）的採訪中接受采訪。（美聯社照片/貝貝托·馬修斯）

波士頓檢察官米切爾·加拉貝迪安（Mitchell Garabedian）說：“公眾對神職人員的性侵和掩蓋行為比以往任何時候都更加厭惡，這在陪審團的裁決中得到了體現。”城市，並在電影《聚光燈》中飾演。

洛杉磯律師保羅·莫內斯（Paul Mones）說，他在1980年代針對教堂的性侵案件中贏得了數千萬美元：“時代精神完全不利於天主教會。” 對於Mones而言，新法律規定的訴訟支出的大小可能取決於大多數原告是決定通過教區解決案件還是抓住機會進行審判。 他說：“這裡的X因子是是否會進行試驗。” “如果有人開始嘗試這些案例，這些數字可能會變成天文數字。

” 由於這15個州在過去兩年中的不同時間頒布了法律，因此訴訟的衝擊正日趨高漲。 今年夏天，當紐約州開放其為期一年的窗口，允許無性法規的性虐待訴訟時，僅在第一天就對教會和其他機構提起了400多起訴訟。現在，這個數字已超過1000，其中大多數是針對教堂的。

新澤西州的兩年期窗口將於本週開放，加利福尼亞州的三年期窗口將於新的一年開始，其中一項條款允許原告在可以掩蓋事實的情況下收取三倍的賠償金。亞利桑那州，蒙大拿州和佛蒙特州已於今年年初開業。在立法者上個月投票通過考慮修改憲法以使其更容易通過之後，即使是最大的派系之一，賓夕法尼亞州也正在接近一個窗口。 西雅圖神職人員長期律師已經在西雅圖表示，他已經在紐約，新澤西和加利福尼亞簽署了約800名客戶。波士頓的Garabedian表示，他預計將在紐約提交225份申請，在另外六個州中至少提交200份。另一位資深性侵訴訟人詹姆斯·馬什（James Marsh）說，僅在紐約，他就已經收集了200多個客戶。

律師助理在紐約梅爾維爾的Slater Schulman的Slater律師事務所的小隔間里工作。（美聯社照片/貝貝托·馬修斯）

瑪什說：“ 小細流變成了小溪，更變成了洪水。” “我們現在正處於洪災階段。” 教會領導人遊說州議會大廈多年，反對放鬆限制法規，他們說這正是他們所擔心的那種瘋狂的教牧獵食行為。

有些人抱怨說，很難對付很久以前發生的性侵指控，以至於大多數證人散居，許多被指控的牧師早已死亡。 “死者無法為自己辯護，”美國天主教主教大會前總顧問馬克·喬普科（Mark Chopko）說。“也沒有人要接受采訪。如果一個教區聲稱史密斯神父在1947年性虐待了某個人，而史密斯神父的檔案中沒有任何內容，也沒有人要問是否值得，那該教區就會陷入困境。”

___ 斯萊特（Slater）在曼哈頓的辦公室可能會看到紐約市天主教大主教管區的精神住所聖帕特里克大教堂的景色，但他的教堂濫用訴訟行動的地面為零，這是一個呼叫中心，距離長島郊區約一個小時的車程。俯瞰停車場的辦公大樓。 在那裡，十幾個隔間中戴著耳機的律師助理接聽電話，以回應談話廣播和有線電視新聞頻道上的廣告：“如果您遭到神職人員的性侵，即使那件事發生在幾十年前……您可能有權獲得經濟補償。

” 那場比賽與現年57歲的拉蒙·梅卡多（Ramon Mercado）交談，他一直對自己在1970年代遭受的性虐待保持沉默，部分原因是他不想讓虔誠的天主教母親不安。自從她最近去世以來，他準備談論紐約市的牧師，後者邀請他進入普利茅斯轎車在寒冷的天氣裡熱身，並在接下來的三年裡性侵了他數百次。 梅爾卡多說：“我當時坐在客廳裡，有人在電視上說如果你遭到性侵，請立即採取行動的音訊。

“這麼多年後，我說，為什麼不呢？” 當這樣的電話打進來時，受到訓練的律師助理會輕柔地問。 “你說你幾歲？” “十還是十一...？好的。如果看到了，您還記得那張臉嗎？” “他會讓你下床嗎？他來找你時他說了什麼？” “您想休息一下嗎？你還好嗎？你確定嗎？” 下一步是讓律師上線，看看他們是否可以提起訴訟。

現年71歲的南希·霍林·洛內克（Nancy Holling-Lonnecker）在聖地亞哥的家中擺姿勢，拍攝了她年輕時的照片。（美聯社照片/格里高利公牛） 

斯萊特說，自從紐約一年期窗口開放以來，他的公司已經接聽了3000多個電話，它已經簽約了近300個客戶，預計到明年年中還會有200個客戶。 最近一天，律師在午餐時間與至少六位潛在的原告進行了交談，其中一位說她在第一次聖餐聚會上就被強姦，另一位說一位牧師要求他拉下褲子以便測體溫。 律師們講述了他們在過去幾個月裡聽到的其他一些可怕的指控: 在一間沒有窗戶的休息室裡，一名年輕女孩被用手觸摸，最後被飽以拳頭;一個男孩在同一時間被三個牧師強姦;一個祭童被要求進行口交，然後吞下牧師精液，因為這樣才可以“赦免他的罪” 

幾十年後，一名原告仍然能聞到牧師呼出的酒精味。另一個人說，他仍然能聽到牧師走近他的教室，當他來接他時，鞋子在學校走廊上發出的吱吱聲。

一名男子打電話來講述了他的故事，後來自殺了。一位身患絕症的婦女從臨終關懷中心打來電話——“我這輩子都記的這事。”

 但也有很多像梅爾卡多一樣，牽涉到以前從未公開被指控過的牧師，有些早就死了。因此，律師變成了懸案調查員，他們打電話給退休的天主教學校教師和退休的教區工作人員，梳理年鑒，在梅爾卡多的案例中，追蹤與牧師一起出國旅行的傳教士。

“這類案件並不適合每一家律師事務所。這不是一起撞車追尾事故，”斯萊特說。“還有工作要做。”

還有錢要賺。斯萊特說，他計畫從他的客戶所獲得的任何獎勵中要求三分之一的報酬，他已經在做準備，雇傭了六個新的律師助理，在新澤西開了一個辦事處，還在長島砸了一堵牆來騰出更多的空間。

正吃披薩的律師之一史蒂文·奧爾特(Steven Alter)在被問及那些站出來的人是否只是為了錢時他反駁道。

“這不是在搶錢，”他說。“他們想要有發言權。他們想要幫助別人，確保這種事情不會再發生。

“還沒有人問過我錢的事。”

這是天主教會一直擔心的日子。

幾十年來，教會花費數百萬美元遊說州議會，聲稱如果取消起訴的時間限制，它將被訴訟淹沒。這場鬥爭現在失敗了，它正通過尋求賠償基金和破產來為第二輪做準備。

如果受害者同意不把他們的要求訴諸法庭，賠償基金將向他們提供賠償。他們提供了一種更快、更簡單的方式來伸張正義和獲得現金，但和解通常只是受害者在審判中所能得到的一小部分。批評人士說，教會只是在利用它們來避免更大的財政打擊和完全透明。

紐約大主教蒂莫西·多蘭(Timothy Dolan)於2016年設立了首個基金，聲稱這是一種補償受害者的方式，不會打擊教會，迫使它削減專案。此後，該公司向338名受害者支付了超過6700萬美元，平均每人20萬美元。

這個想法也在其他州流行起來。新澤西州的5個教區和科羅拉多州的3個教區都成立了一個教區，賓夕法尼亞州的7個教區和加利福尼亞州的6個教區也成立了一個教區，其中包括美國最大的洛杉磯大主教教區

多蘭去年在報紙的一篇專欄文章中說，這些資金“防止了真正的可能性——就像其他地方發生的那樣——使公共和私人組織破產，包括提供教育、慈善和醫療保健等基本服務的教堂。”

天主教聯盟主席比爾·多諾霍長期以來一直對新的限制法令持批評態度，他說這些法令的效果——如果不是他們的意圖——是“使教會癱瘓”。

“當一個教區破產時，每個人都會受到傷害，”他說。

但破產已經成為越來越普遍的選擇。紐約州為期一年的“回顧視窗”生效後不到一個月，羅切斯特北部教區申請破產，這是美國第20個申請破產的教區或宗教秩序，列出了據稱虐待倖存者和其他債權人提出的索賠，金額高達5億美元。需支付的資產估計不超過上述金額的五分之一。

 布法羅教區可能是下一個。該組織已經開始向100名牧師的受害者支付賠償金，他們認為這100名牧師受到了“可信的指控”，他們將一處價值150萬美元的豪宅出售，這處豪宅曾是面臨辭職壓力的主教居住的地方

。當一個教區申請破產時，被控被性侵倖存者的訴訟將被暫停，向他們和其他欠債者——承包商、供應商、銀行、債券持有人——的付款將被凍結，而聯邦法官將決定向每個人支付多少錢，並留下足夠的款項讓教區繼續運作。這是有秩序的，受害者避免了昂貴和冗長的法庭案件，但如果他們在審判中獲勝，他們得到的往往比他們應該得到的要少。

賓夕法尼亞州立大學最近對截至2018年9月申請破產保護的16個教區和其他宗教組織進行的一項研究發現，受害者平均獲得了288,168美元的和解金。

破產也會讓遭受虐待的倖存者失去正義感，因為教會永遠不用面對原告律師的揭發，也不用被迫交出檔案，可能牽涉到隱瞞性侵的高層。

斯萊特說，對他的許多客戶來說，法庭上的鬥爭是至關重要的，因為他們想要揭露犯罪背後的文化，而不僅僅是一個牧師。

“他們想看看教會是如何允許他們被性虐待的，他們是如何毀掉他們的生活的。教會完全掌握了這些資訊，我們沒有其他途徑可以獲得。”他說:“在破產程式中是不同的，你不能得到發現，也不能在賠償程式中得到發現。真相永遠不會大白。”

過去幾個月教會採取的其他策略可能預示著未來。

今年7月，紐約總教區起訴了31家保險公司，擔心他們會拒絕支付所有新的所謂的受害者。

就在上個月，附近長島的教會官員試圖推翻紐約州關於性侵案件的限制法令，認為它違反了州憲法的正當程式條款。羅克維爾中心教區主張，提起訴訟的時間限制只能在“特殊情況”下才可以延長，比如當原告因身處國外戰區而無法提起訴訟時。

由於明顯的財務影響，另外兩起風險不大的案件正受到密切關注。今年早些時候，五名男子在明尼蘇達州提起訴訟，稱他們在未成年時被牧師性侵，他們認為部分責任應由梵蒂岡教廷承擔。然後是上個月在布法羅發生的另一起虐待案，指控梵蒂岡敲詐勒索。

梵蒂岡是一個主權國家，被廣泛視為禁止虐待受害者進入，但一些律師說，現在是時候，特別是現在美國教區受到攻擊，開始利用其巨大的財富。

雷蒙德·p·鮑徹(Raymond P. Boucher)是洛杉磯的一名資深性侵律師，他認為梵蒂岡傳奇般的財富包括不可能耗盡的地下室裡的藝術寶藏，“並且仍然支付任何人可以帶到美國的每一項索賠。”

“他們把它們放在地下室裡。他們甚至不需要從牆上取下任何東西。

。” NEW YORK (AP) — At the end of another long day trying to sign up new clients accusing the Roman Catholic Church of sexual abuse, lawyer Adam Slater gazes out the window of his high-rise Manhattan office at one of the great symbols of the church, St. Patrick’s Cathedral. “I wonder how much that’s worth?” he muses. Across the country, attorneys like Slater are scrambling to file a new wave of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by clergy, thanks to rules enacted in 15 states that extend or suspend the statute of limitations to allow claims stretching back decades. Associated Press reporting found the deluge of suits could surpass anything the nation’s clergy sexual abuse crisis has seen before, with potentially more than 5,000 new cases and payouts topping $4 billion. It’s a financial reckoning playing out in such populous Catholic strongholds as New York, California and New Jersey, among the eight states that go the furthest with “lookback windows” that allow sex abuse claims no matter how old. Never before have so many states acted in near-unison to lift the restrictions that once shut people out if they didn’t bring claims of childhood sex abuse by a certain age, often their early 20s. Catholic faithful lights candles at a prayer station during a visit to one of the great symbols of the Roman Catholic Church, St. Patricks Cathedral, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) That has lawyers fighting for clients with TV ads and billboards asking, “Were you abused by the church?” And Catholic dioceses, while worrying about the difficulty of defending such old claims, are considering bankruptcy, victim compensation funds and even tapping valuable real estate to stay afloat. “It’s like a whole new beginning for me,” said 71-year-old Nancy Holling-Lonnecker of San Diego, who plans to take advantage of an upcoming three-year window for such suits in California. Her claim dates back to the 1950s, when she says a priest repeatedly raped her in a confession booth beginning when she was 7 years old. “The survivors coming forward now have been holding on to this horrific experience all of their lives,” she said. “They bottled up those emotions all of these years because there was no place to take it.” Now there is. ___ AP interviews with more than a dozen lawyers and clergy abuse watchdog groups offered a wide range of estimates but many said they expected at least 5,000 new cases against the church in New York, New Jersey and California alone, resulting in potential payouts that could surpass the $4 billion paid out since the clergy sex abuse first came to light in the 1980s. Full Coverage: The Reckoning Lawyers acknowledged the difficulty of predicting what will happen but several believed payouts could exceed the $350,000 national average per child sex abuse case since 2003. At the upper end, a key benchmark is the average $1.3 million the church paid per case the last time California opened a one-year window to suits in 2003. That offers a range of total payouts in the three big Catholic states alone from $1.8 billion to as much as $6 billion. Some lawyers believe payouts could be heavily influenced by the recent reawakening over sexual abuse fueled by the #MeToo movement, the public shaming of accused celebrities and the explosive Pennsylvania grand jury report last year that found 300 priests abused more than 1,000 children in that state over seven decades. Since then, attorneys general in nearly 20 states have launched investigations of their own. Attorney Adam Slater, left, listens during an interview as his client Ramon Mercado. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) “The general public is more disgusted than ever with the clergy sex abuse and the cover-up, and that will be reflected in jury verdicts,” said Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston attorney who was at the center of numerous lawsuits against the church in that city and was portrayed in the movie “Spotlight.” Said Los Angeles lawyer Paul Mones, who has won tens of millions in sex abuse cases against the church going back to the 1980s: “The zeitgeist is completely unfavorable to the Catholic Church.” For Mones, the size of lawsuit payouts under the new laws could hinge on whether most plaintiffs decide to settle their cases with dioceses or take their chances with a trial. “The X-factor here is whether there will be trials,” he said. “If anyone starts trying these cases, the numbers could become astronomical.” Since the 15 states enacted their laws at different times over the past two years, the onslaught of lawsuits is coming in waves. This summer, when New York state opened its one-year window allowing sexual abuse suits with no statute of limitations, more than 400 cases against the church and other institutions were filed on the first day alone. That number is now up to more than 1,000, with most targeting the church. New Jersey’s two-year window opens this week and California’s three-year window begins in the new year, with a provision that allows plaintiffs to collect triple damages if a cover-up can be shown. Arizona, Montana and Vermont opened ones earlier this year. Even one of the biggest holdouts, Pennsylvania, is moving closer to a window after legislators voted last month to consider amending its constitution to make it easier to pass one. Already, longtime clergy abuse lawyer Michael Pfau in Seattle says he’s signed up about 800 clients in New York, New Jersey and California. Boston’s Garabedian says he expects to file 225 in New York, plus at least 200 in a half-dozen other states. Another veteran abuse litigator, James Marsh, says he’s collected more than 200 clients in New York alone. Paralegals work in cubicles at the law firm of Slater, Slater Schulman in Melville, New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) “A trickle becomes a stream becomes a flood,” Marsh said. “We’re sort of at the flood stage right now.” Church leaders who lobbied statehouses for years against loosening statute-of-limitations laws say this is exactly the kind of feeding frenzy they were worried about. And some have bemoaned the difficulty of trying to counter accusations of abuse that happened so long ago that most witnesses have scattered and many of the accused priests are long dead. “Dead people can’t defend themselves,” said Mark Chopko, former general counsel to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “There is also no one there to be interviewed. If a diocese gets a claim that Father Smith abused somebody in 1947, and there is nothing in Father Smith’s file and there is no one to ask whether there is merit or not, the diocese is stuck.” ___ Slater’s Manhattan offices may have views of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, spiritual home of New York City’s Catholic archdiocese, but ground zero for his church abuse lawsuit operation is a call center, of sorts, about an hour’s drive away in suburban Long Island, in an office building overlooking a parking lot. There, headset-wearing paralegals in a dozen cubicles answer calls in response to ads on talk radio and cable TV news channels pleading: “If you were sexually abused by a member of the clergy, even if it happened decades ago ... you may be entitled to financial compensation.” That pitch spoke to 57-year-old Ramon Mercado, who had long kept silent about the abuse he suffered in the 1970s, in part because he didn’t want to upset his devout Catholic mother. Since her recent death, he’s ready to talk about the New York City priest who invited him into his Plymouth sedan to warm up on a cold day and ended up molesting him hundreds of times over the next three years. “I was sitting in my living room and someone came on TV, ‘If you’ve been molested, act now,’” Mercado said. “After so many years, I said, ‘Why not?’” When such calls come in, the paralegals are trained to press for details but to do so gently. “What age would you say you were?” “Ten or 11? OK. Would you remember the face if you saw it?” “He would take you out of your bed? What did he say when he came to get you?” “Do you want to take a break? Are you OK? Are you sure?” The next step is to get a lawyer on the line to see if it’s a case they can take to court. Slater says that out of the more than 3,000 calls his firm has taken leading up to and since the opening of New York’s one-year window, it has signed up nearly 300 clients, and expects another 200 by the middle of next year. One recent day, lawyers talked to at least a half-dozen potential plaintiffs by lunchtime, with one saying she was raped at a first communion party and another saying a priest sodomized him after he was told to pull down his pants so his temperature could be taken. In a windowless break room over pizza, the lawyers recounted some of the other horrific claims they’ve heard in just the past few months: A young girl penetrated by a finger, then a fist; a boy raped by three priests at the same time; an altar boy told to perform oral sex and then swallow because it would “absolve him of his sins.” One plaintiff still smells the alcohol on the priest’s breath decades later. Another says he can still hear the priest approaching his classroom as he came to get him, the squeak of shoes in the school hallway. One man called with his story and later killed himself. A terminally-ill woman called from a hospice care center — “I’ve been holding this in my whole life.” Many of the accusations involve those already identified by dioceses as “credibly accused” — there are 5,173 priests, lay persons and other clergy member that meet that standard, according to a recent AP tally. Those are the easy cases. Nancy Holling-Lonnecker, 71, poses with a picture taken of her as a young girl, at her home in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) But many others are like Mercado’s, involving priests never accused publicly before, some long dead. And so that turns lawyers into cold-case investigators, calling retired Catholic school teachers and retired rectory staff, combing through yearbooks and, in Mercado’s case, tracking down missionary workers who went on the priest’s overseas trips. “This type of case isn’t for every law firm. It’s not a hit-in-the-rear car accident,” Slater said. “There is work to be done.” And money to be made. For his fee, Slater said he plans to ask for a full third of any awards his clients collect and he’s been spending in anticipation, hiring a half-dozen new paralegals, opening an office in New Jersey and breaking a wall in Long Island to make more room. One of the lawyers eating pizza, Steven Alter, pushed back when asked if the people coming forward are just in it for the money. “It’s not a cash grab,” he said. “They want to have a voice. They want to help other people and make sure it doesn’t happen again. “I haven’t had one person ask me about the money yet.” ___ This is the day the Catholic Church has long feared. The church spent millions of dollars lobbying statehouses for decades, arguing it would be swamped with lawsuits if time limits on suing were lifted. That battle now lost, it is girding for Round Two, by turning to compensation funds and bankruptcy. Compensation funds offer payment to victims if they agree not take their claims to court. They offer a faster, easier way to some justice, and cash, but the settlements are typically a fraction of what victims can get in trials. And critics say the church is just using them to avoid both a bigger financial hit and full transparency. New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan set up the first fund in 2016, pitching it as a way to compensate victims without walloping the church and forcing it to cut programs. It has since paid more than $67 million to 338 alleged victims, an average $200,000 each. The idea has caught on in other states. All five dioceses in New Jersey and three in Colorado opened one, as did seven dioceses in Pennsylvania and six in California, including the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the largest in the U.S. Such funds, Dolan said in a newspaper op-ed piece last year, “prevent the real possibility — as has happened elsewhere — of bankrupting both public and private organizations, including churches, that provide essential services in education, charity and health care.” Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League and a longtime critic of the new statute-of-limitations laws, said their effect — if not their intent — “is to disable the church.” “When a diocese goes bankrupt, everyone gets hurt,” he said. But bankruptcy has become an increasingly more common option. Less than a month after New York’s one-year lookback window took effect, the upstate Diocese of Rochester filed for bankruptcy, the 20th diocese or religious order in the country to do so, listing claims from alleged abuse survivors and other creditors as much as $500 million. Assets to pay that are estimated at no more than one-fifth that amount. The Diocese of Buffalo may be next. It has begun paying victims of the 100 priests it considers “credibly accused” of abuse, tapping proceeds from the sale of a lavish $1.5 million mansion that once housed its bishop who is facing pressure to resign. Adam Slater, left, checks his phone during a working lunch with lawyers in his firm. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) When a diocese files for bankruptcy, lawsuits by alleged abuse survivors are suspended and payments to them and others owed money — contractors, suppliers, banks, bondholders — are frozen while a federal judge decides how much to pay everyone and still leave enough for the diocese to continue to operate. It’s orderly and victims avoid costly and lengthy court cases, but they often get less than they would if they were successful in a trial. A recent Penn State study of 16 dioceses and other religious organizations that had filed for bankruptcy protection by September 2018 found that victims received an average settlement of $288,168. Bankruptcy can also leave abuse survivors with a sense of justice denied because the church never has to face discovery by plaintiff lawyers and forced to hand over documents, possibly implicating higherups who hid the abuse. For many of his clients, Slater said, the fight in court is crucial because they want to expose the culture behind the crime, not just out a single priest. “They want to see how the church allowed them to be abused, how they ruined their lives. The church is solely in possession of the information and there is no other way to get it,” he said. “It’s a different process in bankruptcy — you don’t get discovery and you don’t get it in compensation programs. The truth never comes to light.” Other church tactics in the past few months could be a harbinger for the future. In July, the Archdiocese of New York sued 31 of its insurers, fearing they would balk at paying all the new alleged victims. And just last month, church officials on nearby Long Island sought to throw out New York’s new statutes of limitations law in sex abuse cases, arguing it violates the due process clause of the state constitution. The Diocese of Rockville Centre contends time limits to file suits can only be extended in “exceptional circumstances,” such as when plaintiffs are unable to file because they are abroad in a war zone. Another pair of long shot cases are being closely watched because of the obvious financial implications. Five men who claim they were sexually abused by priests when they were minors filed suit in Minnesota earlier this year contending some of the responsibility rests with the world headquarters of the church — the Vatican. Then came another abuse suit last month in Buffalo accusing the Vatican of racketeering. The Vatican is a sovereign state widely seen as off limits to abuse victims, but some lawyers say it’s time, especially now that U.S. dioceses are under attack, that it begins tapping its vast wealth. Raymond P. Boucher, a veteran Los Angeles sexual abuse attorney, contends the Vatican’s legendary riches include stashes of art in vaults that could not possibly be exhausted “and still pay every single claim that anybody could bring in the United States.” “They have them just in the vaults. They don’t even have to take anything off the walls.”