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BOSTON, December 3, 2002 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Faced with 450 alleged victims of clerical abuse from the 1970s and 1980s, the Archdiocese of Boston may file for bankruptcy, according to sources within the archdiocese. This move would suspend all civil suits and combine 450 cases into one, placing some limit on the bottomless financial pit of at least $100 million, plus millions in lawyers’ fees, that Boston-area Catholics now face.  Seeking Chapter 11 protection would “amount to an admission by the archdiocese that it is liable for the claims because of its negligence,” reports say. But much of the damage from court-ordered disclosures has already been done, and Bernard Cardinal Law’s senior advisers reportedly believe that bankruptcy is preferable to years of separate legal battles.  Law’s officials are said to have become disillusioned with the prospect of resolving claims through mediation, citing the archdiocese’s “rancorous” experience with Greenberg Traurig, the firm that represents about half the victims.  For related coverage see LifeSite’s Church Scandals pages https://www.lifesitenews.com/features/churchscandals/