Mediation has begun between the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and lawyers representing those who were abuse by clergy.  The goal is to resolve the hundreds of lawsuits filed against the church as part of its bankruptcy that was finished earlier in 2019.

The Archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018 claiming to not be able to afford its expenses after paying settlements to victims of clergy abuse.  According to the report, nearly 400 people had filed new claims against the church as of its mid-June bankruptcy filing.

The mediation took place over three days and according to Levi Monagle of the law firm representing victims of clergy abuse, “Both sides put in a lot of hours.  It is slow going, but progress was made. ”

According to Monagle, both sides will now explain the status of things to their clients and gather additional information.  They are planning to reconvene in mediation at the start of 2020. Monagle also explained that while the group of survivors will be given additional information, the general public would not be updated since mediation is private and there are additional confidentiality orders in place.

In addition to the nearly 400 lawsuits filed thus far against the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, more are expected in the coming weeks and months.  Monagle believes there are likely a lot more cases of abuse that have not yet been reported.  

Many victims of clergy abuse that took place decades ago are just now starting to speak out and many believe that it will create a snowball effect – the more cases of abuse revealed the more cases there will be revealed.