Latest news with #EasternDistrictCourt
Los Angeles Times
02-07-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Facing 153 sexual abuse cases, the Fresno Diocese seeks bankruptcy. Critics call it delay tactic
Bogged down by 153 claims of clergy sex abuse, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno announced Tuesday it voluntarily filed a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The financial reorganization process comes more than a year after the diocese declared its initial intent to seek relief in U.S. bankruptcy court. Fresno church officials said the action will help them avoid insolvency, while victims of abuse and their attorneys excoriated the church for what they describe as delay tactics to help the diocese evade justice. Church officials are scheduled at Eastern District Court in Fresno on Monday for their next hearing in front of Judge René Lastreto II. 'I am clear-sighted that this path is the only path that will allow us to handle claims of sexual abuse with fair, equitable compassion while simultaneously ensuring the continuation of ministry within our Diocese,' Bishop Joseph V. Brennan wrote in a letter to parishioners. 'Our Church must address the suffering that victims of clergy sexual abuse endure.' Although the church has not conceded responsibility on all 153 claims, Brennan said a fund will be established by the court for distribution to survivors. Jeff Anderson, whose law firm has represented clergy abuse victims in 11 of California's 12 dioceses, including the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, said the proceedings help the diocese and bishop avoid accountability. 'By forcing survivors into bankruptcy court, they are once again denying responsibility,' Anderson wrote in a statement. 'But we will stand with survivors and fight for the full measure of truth, justice, and healing they deserve.' In May 2024, the church acknowledged more than 150 sexual abuse claims made against it since Assembly Bill 218 was enacted in January 2020. AB 218 opened a three-year window for some civil sexual assault claims that previously timed out due to the statute of limitations. The deadline to file a claim closed Dec. 31, 2022, under the legislation. Attorney Jennifer Stein said all 50 of the firm's clients filed lawsuits directly because of AB 218, with one filing in 2019 in anticipation of the Assembly bill's passage. She said most victims were children forever 'scarred' by the trauma that stemmed from clergy abuse. 'That's trauma that stays with you throughout your professional and academic career, in interpersonal relationships and marriages,' she said. 'Each and every single survivor has a story to tell as a result of their abuse and that isn't highlighted enough.' Stein said that bankruptcy robs victims of the spotlight and converts court proceedings into a focus on property and corporate structure that could span several years. 'As compared to state court litigation, bankruptcy is about the church's ability to pay,' she said. Fresno's diocese includes more than 1 million Catholics among 87 parishes and 21 schools from Fresno, Kern, Kings, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties. The diocese released a list of 63 clergy and lay people accused in 2021, including ordained priests as early as 1906. Though most were local, some clergy hailed from Guatemala, France, Ireland, Mexico and the Philippines. On Monday, attorney Rick Simons filed a motion in court calling for an investigation into Fresno's bankruptcy announcement. He said he believes the more than year-long lag since May 2024 was fraudulently used to delay several dozen cases. Simons manages a legal proceeding called Northern California Clergy Cases, in which nearly 1,800 individual lawsuits have been filed against seven Catholic dioceses, including Fresno. Simons told The Times the advantages for the church include survivors dying out, getting tired and quitting or greatly reducing their expectations. He also noted that the church could have used this time to rearrange money and property to make sure certain funds or accounts are not part of the debtor's estate. The declared intent for bankruptcy also 'stops jury trials and discovery from going forward while cases are waiting for bankruptcy,' according to Simons. The church declined to comment on the accusation. Church officials have said that they do not expect an impact to diocese-run elementary and high schools along with catholic charities and other area affiliates. Though diocese officials have said they also do not expect an impact at Catholic cemeteries, those properties have been listed in the Chapter 11 filing. The diocese acknowledged that the value of Diocesan assets available to resolve claims, including any available insurance coverage, may not be sufficient to cover the claims and could leave the diocese insolvent. The diocese also verified that it was not receiving any financial help from the Vatican.
Indian Express
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Kim Soo Hyun moves National Forensic Service after his plush apartment seized; to challenge Garosero's ‘fabricated' evidence
Kim Soo Hyun recently lost a luxury apartment in Galleria Forêt to a cosmetic company after the advertiser filed a lawsuit against the actor over damages caused by his dating controversy. The development came just a day after Seoul's Eastern District Court gave the actor and his agency, Gold Medalist, the upper hand in seizing Garo Sero host Kim Se Ui's two apartments in a bid to recover damages caused by the YouTuber's reporting, where he accused Soo Hyun of being in an inappropriate relationship with late actor Kim Sae Ron. Since the advertisers pulled out of their contract based on the evidence submitted by Garo Sero, which Soo Hyun's legal team insists is fabricated, his lawyers have now taken the case to South Korea's National Forensic Service (NFS) to verify the files' authenticity. If the files turn out to be doctored, it could flip the entire case. Also read: Kim Soo Hyun's loses luxury apartment as he fails to pay penalty fee, a day after winning court order to seize Kim Se Ui's properties Since March, Garo Sero and Kim Sae Ron's family have dropped plenty of digital content they claim as evidence, pictures, screenshots, call logs, alleged audio recordings, and more, forcing Soo Hyun and his agency to hold a press conference. There, he admitted to dating Kim Sae Ron, but denied claims that they were together when she was underage, insisting the relationship only began after she became an adult. But Garo Sero didn't stop. They even dragged in the attorney, threatening to sue him based on a re-constructed audio recording. Soo Hyun's lawyer, Bang Sung Hoon from LKB & Partners, stated, 'It's true that provisional seizure was granted, but Kim Soo Hyun is the victim of criminal slander by Garo Sero Institute. Their false claims that Kim dated and exploited the underage Kim Sae Ron led to these consequences. The blame lies with the instigators, not Kim.' His team is now fighting back against all the advertisers who dropped him based on that 'fabricated' evidence. One of them, a medical beauty company called CLASSYS, had hired Kim to endorse their brand, Volnewmer. When the scandal blew up, CLASSYS scrapped the deal and sued him for damaging their reputation, securing a court order to seize one of his luxury apartments worth about ₩3 billion KRW (around $2.2 million USD). Three more companies have followed suit. Kim Soo Hyun enjoys a massive fanbase in South Korea and globally, some of whom have even launched a petition to protect the actor from cyberbullying. They have now accused CLASSYS of causing 'secondary harm', stressing that the brand is doing additional harm to someone who is already being targeted. Fans argue that the company made money off Kim Soo Hyun's image for years, but turned against him when the controversy broke. They are now threatening to boycott the brand unless it publicly explains itself. Also read: Kim Soo Hyun scores first big win: YouTuber Kim Se Ui's properties seized, Tzuyang case reopened, arrest warrant looms if he skips summons Kim Soo Hyun and Gold Medalist have filed a countersuit for ₩11 billion KRW (around $8 million USD) against both Garo Sero Institute and Kim Sae Ron's family. The charges include defamation, to privacy breach and the distribution of malicious information. Additional complaints have been filed under South Korea's sexual violence laws and the Information and Communications Network Act. Earlier, the actor's legal team confirmed that they are working on the provisional seizure of Garo Sero's bank account, where Soo Hyun is the direct creditor.
