NW Jesuits: Bankruptcy Plan After Abuse Settlement

Northwest Jesuit priests have formalized their Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, including a previously announced agreement that they will pay $166.1 million to settle sex abuse claims made by more than 450 people.

A 90-page plan filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Portland, Ore., also spells out how the Jesuits will apologize to mostly Native American and Alaska Native victims abused at Jesuit schools in Alaska and the Northwest.

The Oregonian says the plan shows Safeco Insurance Co. will pay $118 million and the region’s Jesuits will contribute $43.1 million, with nearly $6.5 million set aside for future claims. The payout also specifies legal fees.

The plan says the area’s top Jesuit leader will send apology letters to victims. The Portland-based Jesuit province will also post a website link to the names of its priests who were identified as abusers. And a Jesuit statement thanking victims who spoke up will be published as a retail ad in newspapers from Montana to Alaska.