Court rules archdiocese’s cemetery funds should be available to abuse victims

March 10, 2015

Overturning a decision by a bankruptcy judge, the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s $55-million cemetery trust fund should not be off limits to abuse victims.

The archdiocese declared bankruptcy in 2011 and had proposed that funds from a $4-million insurance settlement be made available to 128 victims of clerical abuse, according to the Associated Press. The archdiocese argued that the trust fund for the cemeteries, which had been set up prior to the bankruptcy filing, should be kept separate from the assets of the archdiocese, since the funds were committed to cemetery maintenance.

 

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Further information:

• Court: Judge erred on Milwaukee archdiocese fund (AP)
• Judges grill Milwaukee archdiocese’s attorneys on cemetery trust fund (CWN, 6/3/14)