The Catholic Diocese of El Paso filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a move that could reshape how survivors of clergy sexual abuse pursue compensation and accountability.

The filing comes after 18 victims filed 12 lawsuits against the diocese alleging sexual abuse of minors by clergy between 1956 and 1982 in Las Cruces.

The diocese said it does not have the financial resources to defend the claims or pay any potential verdicts.

Attorney Levi Monagle, who represents nine of the 18 victims who filed lawsuits, said the bankruptcy process could become a central forum for resolving the claims and pursuing broader goals.

“I think that there’s an opportunity here for survivors to make some very important demands of the diocese and achieve some objectives that they might not otherwise be able to maintain or achieve in other forums,” Monagle said.

RECOMMENDED: El Paso Catholic Diocese files for Bankruptcy Chapter 11 amid claims of sexual abuse

Monagle said the bankruptcy is a way for the diocese to avoid jury trials while addressing survivors’ claims.

“A Chapter 11 bankruptcy is the diocese saying that our liabilities, the legal risks we face from jury trials by these abuse survivors threatens our existence and we need to come up with a fair way to handle all of these claims at the same time,” he said.

The diocese has outlined a 120-day period for survivors to come forward with claims related to sexual abuse by clergy.

Monagle said that the window could be critical for people who have not yet filed claims.

“I’m really for survivors in the community to know that there is a clock you know and the door can be shut with finality through the bankruptcy court in a way that it can’t be shut in other courts.

He also emphasized the importance of survivors participating in the bankruptcy case.

“That the diocese owes them a debt essentially. And so the presence and involvement of survivors in the bankruptcy is critical,” Monagle said.

RECOMMENDED: EP Catholic Diocese files for bankruptcy; cites potential judgments in priest abuse cases

Monagle said the process is also an opportunity to pursue transparency and other objectives.

“That we need to bring all of the survivors who have claims against the diocese into one forum, into the bankruptcy forum and understand the full scope of our liabilities so that we can compensate these people fairly and work with them to achieve objectives around document transparency and any number of other important goals that survivors have,” he said.

The diocese is expected to continue operating during the bankruptcy. Monagle said survivors will play a key role in what happens next.

“They have that resilience in them and they’re going to exhibit it throughout this process.

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