ARCHDIOCESE AND OFFICIAL COMMITTEE OF UNSECURED CREDITORS AGREE TO NONMONETARY PROVISIONS

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Nov 08, 2024, 12:01 ET

NEW ORLEANS, La., Nov. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a notable milestone in the chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of the Roman Catholic Church Archdiocese of New Orleans (the "Archdiocese"), the Archdiocese and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors (the "Committee"), which represents sexual abuse survivors, have reached an agreement regarding the non-monetary child protection provisions to be included in each of their proposed bankruptcy plans. The Committee is represented by James Stang, Andrew Caine and Iain Nasatir of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones ("PSZJ") and Omer Kuebel, Brad Knapp, and Steven Bryant of Locke Lord.

The Committee has repeatedly demanded that the Archdiocese commit to enhanced child protection policies and procedures toward the critical goal of preventing future child sexual abuse in church ministry, including improved public accountability and transparency, internal and external oversight, treatment for survivors, and public apologies and recognition. The agreed upon provisions, which were heavily negotiated for over two years, begin with the Archdiocese's pledge to continue to clearly state that child protection and the prevention of sexual abuse is of paramount importance, that "[the Archdiocese] will not compromise the protection of Children from Child Sexual Abuse and is committed to the care and well-being of survivors of abuse."

The complete agreed upon nonmonetary provisions have been filed with the court by both parties as part of their respective Restructuring Plans. In sum, the provisions include:

(a) the retention of a third-party Child Protection consultant to continue to recommend further protection policies and procedures;
(b) the creation of new Youth Protection Advisor and Youth Protection Executive roles, tasked with coordination and monitoring of child protection procedures and compliance;
(c) Enhanced procedures and regular meetings of the Archdiocese Independent Review Board to review allegations of credible abuse, appointment of a survivor member to the Board, and creation of opportunities for survivors to seek review of claims and alleged perpetrators;
(d) Improved intake and handling of claims;
(e) Stringent requirements for mandatory reporting of claims to law enforcement;
(f) Treatment and other services for survivors;
(g) A publicly available university archive of accused priest files and related abuse documents;
(h) Public apologies by the Archbishop and anti-abuse and remembrance plaques;
(i) A forum for survivors to tell their stories;
(j) Enhanced monitoring and public reporting of compliance with the provisions;
(k) Enforcement of compliance by survivor representatives;

"The strongest possible protections for children and other sexual abuse survivors are of critical importance to the Committee as the representative of the hundreds of survivors of abuse in this Archdiocese. The Committee has tirelessly advocated for these enhanced provisions as essential to any path forward for the Archdiocese to exit bankruptcy," said Andy Caine of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones.

"My highest priority as a representative of the survivor community is to work to ensure that no child is ever harmed again. We all have family and friends who need protection, and I will not be deterred from that goal," said Patricia Moody, Committee Chair.

The parties continue negotiations on a monetary settlement in the hopes of reaching a consensual plan to finalize the bankruptcy proceedings with fair and just compensation for and treatment of survivors.

SOURCE Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones