Clergy Sex Abuse Case Leads To Church Bankruptcy

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — A Roman Catholic diocese in northeastern Minnesota has filed for bankruptcy protection after a jury found it partially responsible in a clergy sex abuse case.

The Diocese of Duluth filed for Chapter 11 reorganization Monday.

The diocese says the move was necessary after efforts to reach a resolution with all abuse victims were unsuccessful.

In November, a Ramsey County jury awarded $8.1 million to a man who says he was molested by a priest in northern Minnesota in 1978 when he was a boy. The diocese was held responsible for $4.8 million.

The diocese's vicar general, the Rev. James Bissonette, says the bankruptcy filing safeguards the diocese's limited assets while allowing the church's day-to-day operations to continue.

The diocese has more than 56,000 Catholics in 10 counties of northeastern Minnesota.