The Official Committee of Survivors in the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s bankruptcy remains actively involved in all aspects of this case and provides the following update.
I. Plans of Reorganization
Both the Survivor Committee and the Archdiocese have filed proposed Plans of Reorganization with the Court. A plan of reorganization serves as the roadmap for how the bankruptcy case will ultimately be resolved. It determines what assets will be available to satisfy claims, how those assets will be valued and administered, and how funds will eventually be distributed to survivors and other creditors. Put simply, the plan determines not only how the pie will be divided, but also how large the pie will be.
Each proposed plan is accompanied by a Disclosure Statement. A Disclosure Statement summarizes the key terms of the plan and provides creditors with information about the proposed treatment of claims, available assets, and the process for making distributions. The Court must approve a Disclosure Statement before creditors can vote to accept or reject a plan.
On June 8, 2026, the Court held its first hearing on the competing Disclosure Statements. During that hearing, Judge Harner directed the parties to continue meeting regularly to negotiate and address outstanding issues. The Court also scheduled weekly status conferences to monitor progress. If the necessary issues can be resolved, one or both plans could be finalized and sent to survivors and other creditors for voting as early as August.
If and when that occurs, all survivors who filed claims in this bankruptcy case will receive information and voting materials at the mailing address they provided on their proof of claim.
As part of this process, the parties continue to provide additional information, respond to questions from the Court, and address objections raised to the proposed Disclosure Statements.
In short, the case continues to move forward, but important issues remain unresolved. The Committee understands that survivors want this process to come to an end. It remains committed to maximizing recoveries for survivors while also pursuing meaningful youth protection measures designed to help keep children safe in the future.
II. Relief from the Bankruptcy Stay
On June 1 and 2, 2026, the Court held hearings on two related matters: (1) motions filed by seven survivors seeking permission to continue pursuing their lawsuits outside of bankruptcy, and (2) the Survivor Committee’s request to lift the bankruptcy stay as it applies to parish-related litigation.
The hearings included testimony from the Archdiocese’s insurance attorney, as well as extensive legal arguments from the parties.
Several days later, Judge Harner ruled that she would not grant that relief at this time. As a result, the seven survivors who sought permission to move forward with their cases cannot do so for now, and the stay remains in place with respect to the parish-related issues raised by the Committee.
Importantly, however, the Court also indicated that if the bankruptcy case has not meaningfully progressed by the end of September, it may reconsider whether these lawsuits should be permitted to proceed. While this decision delays further litigation for now, it also increases the pressure on all parties to move toward a resolution in the coming months.
III. “Seek the City to Come” Litigation
The Survivor Committee previously filed litigation concerning the Archdiocese’s Seek the City to Come initiative. The Committee sought greater transparency regarding transactions involving parish property during the bankruptcy case.
The Court ruled that the Archdiocese may continue with the initiative, but it must provide advance notice to the Court before entering into new transactions involving parish property. Those notices must disclose the proposed transaction and its key terms.
As a result, survivors and other parties in interest will have greater visibility into proposed parish property transactions during the bankruptcy process. The Court has indicated that it intends to monitor this process closely. A status conference to review these disclosures and assess how the process is working is scheduled for July 6 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
Survivors who are represented by counsel are encouraged to discuss these developments with their attorneys to better understand how they may affect their individual claims. General questions regarding the bankruptcy process, or comments for the Official Committee, will be treated confidentially and may be sent to baltimoresurvivorteam@stinson.com. All messages will receive a reply.