美国破产法院法官Heather Cooper于7月28日作出裁定，允许神职人员性虐待索赔人对佛蒙特罗马天主教教区及其近70个教区的资产提起诉讼[1]。该教区于2024年秋季申请第11章破产保护，索赔金额估计约5亿美元[1]。
该教区在过去二十年间已为67起神职人员不当行为诉讼支付3450万美元，目前仍面临119项索赔，其中最早的索赔可追溯至1950年[1]。作为资产处置计划的一部分，教区已出售South Burlington总部（成交价310万美元）和Rutland的Loretto Home设施（100万美元），并寻求将Rice Memorial High School校园转让给非营利组织，转让价值430万美元[1]。此外，教区已支付200万美元的法律费用[1]。
A federal bankruptcy judge has authorized victims of clergy sexual abuse to pursue assets held by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vermont and its approximately 70 parishes as part of an ongoing bankruptcy proceeding.[1] Judge Heather Cooper's ruling on July 28 allows abuse claimants to seek damages estimated at roughly $500 million from the diocese's highest-level bank accounts and real estate holdings, as well as trust properties controlled by individual parishes.[1]
The diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the fall of 2024 and has already disbursed $34.5 million to settle past cases of clergy misconduct over the preceding two decades.[1] Despite these settlements, the diocese continues to face 119 pending claims, with some allegations dating back to 1950.[1] The diocese has additionally spent $2 million on legal fees and has already sold its South Burlington headquarters for $3.1 million and the Loretto Home facility in Rutland for $1 million, while seeking to transfer the Rice Memorial High School campus to a nonprofit organization valued at $4.3 million.[1]