Diocese gets deadline extended

By Dustin Lemmon | Wednesday, August 29, 2007

TODAY: (Updated 11:46 a.m.) The Diocese of Davenport will get one more month to file its reorganization plan in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

After receiving no objections to a motion filed earlier this month asking for more time, the court extended the deadline to Oct. 1. The diocese will have until Nov. 30 to get the plan approved.

The original deadline for filing the plan was Aug. 15, but a joint motion asking for the delay was filed a few days before by local attorney Richard Davidson, who represents the diocese, and Hamid Rafatjoo, an attorney in Los Angeles, who represents the claimants.

The diocese said it needs more time to negotiate with insurance companies and review claims.

According to the motion, the diocese received 156 claims of sexual abuse by its July 15 bar date, including a "substantial" number that were filed within the final two weeks before the deadline.

In order to analyze the claims, many of which date back to the 1950s and 1960s, and determine what liability coverage may exist, the diocese needed more time, the motion explained.

The diocese expects the insurance coverage to add millions of dollars to the value of the estate that could be used to compensate victims, the motion adds.

A court hearing had been scheduled for Sept. 5, but that was canceled with plans to reschedule at a later date.

Dustin Lemmon can be contacted at (563) 383-2493 or dlemmon@qctimes.com.