ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) - The Catholic Diocese of Rochester has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The paperwork was filed Thursday morning in the Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of New York.
According to Spectrum News,in the filing, the diocese claims to have between 200 and 999 creditors, and estimates its assets to be between $50 million and $100 million, with liabilities in excess of $100 million.
In the written action to petition, the diocese’s attorneys say the filing is due to “liabilities arising or asserted in connection with the New York Child Victims Act, the impact of such liabilities on the continuation of the mission of the diocese and the strategic alternatives available to the diocese.”
Hundreds of childhood sexual abuse survivors filed lawsuits in New York courts last month on the first day of a one-year window of opportunity for victims to seek civil action against their abusers.