Episode 33

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Published on:

4th May 2023

The Playbook: How the Church Has Used Bankruptcy to Avoid Liability in Abuse Cases

The Catholic church has a go-to playbook to avoid liability in child sex abuse cases. Join Renee Williams as she interviews Attorney Jeff Anderson and Attorney Mike Finnegan from Jeff Anderson & Associates, one of the most recognized law firms in the nation that represents victims of childhood sexual abuse, as they discuss how and why the Church uses bankruptcy to avoid helping their victims.

By filing for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the Catholic church is able to hide its assets and pay less to abuse survivors while halting all abuse litigation. Consequently, by putting bankruptcy rules and deadlines into place, the organization is even protected from future litigation if more victims were to come forward after the deadline has passed.

Tune in to listen to Jeff Anderson and Mike Finnegan as they discuss how the Church gets away with this and what’s being done to fight back on behalf of survivors.

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About the Podcast

Parallel Justice
Coming from the National Center for Victims of Crime, Parallel Justice is a trauma informed and survivor centered podcast that investigates civil justice sought for criminal acts. Dive into the realities of our criminal justice system alongside expert attorneys who took on the cases that dominated the headlines and changed our society. This is not your typical True Crime show. Parallel Justice is an honest, empowering investigation into how the Justice system actually works, where it fails, and how survivors can seek accountability.


The National Center for Victims of Crime advocates for victims’ rights, trains professionals who work with victims and survivors of crime and serves as a trusted source of information on victims' issues. To learn more about the National Center for Victims of Crime, visit https://victimsofcrime.org/.

Access a civil justice attorney through the National Crime Victim Bar Association, the nation's first professional association of attorneys and expert witnesses dedicated to helping victims seek justice through the criminal system visit https://victimbar.org/.

Compassionate, confidential support is available through the VictimConnect Resource Center via call, chat or text at https://victimconnect.org/ and 1-855-484-2846.