Suits Against the Holy See
Litigation involving alleged clergy sexual abuse has cost the Roman Catholic Church in the United States an estimated $2 billion in settlements, and six dioceses have filed for bankruptcy as a result of such claims. These cases typically have a distinctly local character, involving local schools, individual defendants and dioceses. Two recent decisions have the potential to change the face of such litigation by allowing litigants to bring into their suits the ultimate "deep pocket" defendant — the Holy See.