A new ruling by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Mexico allows survivors to challenge the legality of the sequestering of assets from the estate of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.  The Archdiocese incorporated parishes and created trusts in order to protect assets from claims made by the survivors of sexual abuse.  Now the survivors have the ability to push for the return of millions of dollars of assets to the estate, to enable them to seek justice.

As noted in a recent article by Bloomberg News, “‘This opinion is the first step in recognizing that the church controls the parishes,' lawyer Paul Linnenburger, who represents abuse victims in the case, said in a phone interview Monday. ‘That has been a large roadblock in resolving this bankruptcy.'”

The Bloomberg article can be read here.