WISCONSIN: Court Rules Against Catholic Archdiocese In Bankruptcy Case

In 2013 it was revealed that while the Archbishop of Milwaukee, now-Cardinal Timothy Dolan sought the Vatican's permission to move that money into a cemetery fund in order to shield assets from the victims of sexual abuse. The Archdiocese declared bankruptcy in 2011.

UPDATE: Here's the AP's report.

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago said Monday that the fund created by New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan when he was archbishop of Milwaukee is not covered by a federal law that protects religious organizations from government interference. Attorneys for clergy sexual abuse victims say Dolan created the fund to hide money from their clients. The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2011. Hundreds of victims have since filed claims against the archdiocese. The appeals court's ruling reverses a judge's decision that had found that the cemetery fund couldn't be touched. The appeals court sent the case back to the lower court for further proceedings.

PBR Sold To Russian Company

Iconic Milwaukee-based blue collar and hipster favorite Pabst Blue Ribbon has been sold for $700M to a company based in Russia.

The buyer is Oasis Beverages, a Russian brewer and beverages distributor. Backing Oasis is TSG Consumer Partners, an American private equity firm focused on consumer goods, which will take a minority stake. “Pabst Blue Ribbon is the quintessential American brand – it represents individualism, egalitarianism and freedom of expression – all the things that make this country great,” Eugene Kashper, the chairman of Oasis Beverages, said in a statement.  Pabst has been owned by Dean Metropoulos, the consumer products magnate who recently took over the Twinkie line of products from Hostess Brands with private equity firm Apollo. Mr. Metropoulos acquired Pabst in 2010 for about $250 million, and the sale to Oasis and TSG will be a healthy return on his investment.

Pabst Brewing was founded 170 years ago. Included in the sale are its brands Lone Star, Stroh's, Old Milwaukee, Schlitz, and Colt 45.

Milwaukee's Mayor Celebrates

WISCONSIN: Victims Group Wants Judge Tossed In Milwaukee Archdiocese Case

Late last month a Wisconsin judge ruled that the victims of pedophile priests and other creditors should not have access to the millions that then-Archbishop Timothy Dolan moved to a cemetery fund after telling the Vatican that he was doing so for the "improved protection of these funds from any legal claim and liability." Now that group wants the judge to recuse himself after they learned that he has at least nine relatives buried in the Archdiocese's cemeteries.

In motions filed Monday — one to set aside the ruling and the other asking Randa to recuse himself — the creditors said they "discovered that at least nine of Judge Randa's relatives (including his mother, his father and his wife's parents) are buried in cemeteries owned and operated by" the archdiocese. "This fact alone creates the appearance of partiality," the motion states. They add that Randa, by purchasing burial rights for his parents, entered into a contract with the archdiocese, further supporting the call for him to step down from the case. "Judge Randa should have disqualified himself from presiding over any aspect of this adversary proceeding. Yet, he did not do so," the motion reads. "Nor did he disclose the facts to the parties at any time during the case."

The petitioners contend that if the cemetery funds were to be turned over to claimants, the judge could be forced to pay for the upkeep of his family's plots out of his own pocket.

Dolan Wins In Milwaukee

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

In a major victory for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, a federal judge ruled that funds set aside for cemetery operations cannot be tapped to pay sex abuse settlements in the archdiocese's bankruptcy case. U.S. District Judge Rudolph T. Randa ruled that taking even a portion of the funds would violate the archdiocese's free exercise of religion under the First Amendment. The archdiocese has about $53 million in funds in a cemetery trust created in 2007, from monies it said it held in trust on its books for decades. Victims have accused the archdiocese of moving the money into a trust to keep it from sex abuse victims.

Early this month it was revealed that Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was then Archbishop of Milwaukee, had asked the Vatican for permission to move the money, saying that the transfer would result in "improved protection of these funds from any legal claim and liability." (Tipped by JMG reader Drew)

Cardinal Dolan Sought Vatican Permission To Shield Millions In Assets From Lawsuits Filed By Victims Of Pedophile Priests

He has denied it for years, but today the truth came out. Via the New York Times:

Files released by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee on Monday revealed that in 2007, the diocese’s archbishop at the time, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, requested permission from the Vatican to move nearly $57 million into a cemetery trust fund in order to protect the assets from victims of clergy sexual abuse who were demanding compensation. Cardinal Dolan, now the archbishop of New York, has in the past emphatically denied seeking to shield church funds as archbishop of Milwaukee, and he reiterated in a statement on Monday that these were “old and discredited attacks.”

However, the files released Monday contain a letter he wrote to the Vatican in 2007, in which he explained that by transferring the assets, “I foresee an improved protection of these funds from any legal claim and liability.” The Vatican moved swiftly to approve the request, the files show, even though it often took years to remove known abusers from the priesthood. Abuse victims demanding transparency and accountability have long pressed for the release of the documents, and the victims’ lawyers had asked a judge to compel their release.

Bolding above is mine. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee declared bankruptcy in 2011.  Dolan has responded to today's revelation on his blog.

Unfortunately, we have already seen how the release of these documents will cause some to raise old and discredited attacks – like priest-abusers having been “paid” to apply for laicization, (like it or not, bishops do have a canon law obligation to provide basic support like health care and room and board for their priests until they have finally moved on) or that establishing a perpetual care fund from money belonging to cemeteries and designated for that purpose – as required by state law and mandated by the archdiocesan finance council – was an attempt to shield it from the bankruptcy proceedings. While certain groups can be counted-upon to take certain statements or events out of context, the documents released show plainly that the bishops have been faithful to the promises made over a decade ago: permanent removal from ministry of any priest who abused a minor; complete cooperation with law enforcement officials; and, strict child-safety requirements.

Catholic League blowhard Bill Donohue:

Under questioning by Jeffrey Anderson, an activist lawyer, Cardinal Dolan gravely disappointed the enemies of the Catholic Church: they were denied their “gotcha” moment. Indeed, pint-sized Anderson didn’t lay a glove on the big guy. Boring. That is the most accurate word to describe the deposition. Here is a list of the topics that Anderson pursued: the statute of limitations; a public list of accused priests; the process of handling deceased and elderly priests; laicization; false and substantiated allegations; compensation for priests let go from ministry; cemetery funds; parish finances; the scope of an archbishop’s authority; the effect of the scandal on Catholics. In short, there was nothing new—it was another fishing expedition conducted by a man who believes there should be one standard for the Catholic Church, and another for the rest of the world.

Cardinal Tim Dolan Deposed Over Molestations In Milwaukee Archdiocese

Lawyers for the victims of pedophile priests yesterday deposed Cardinal Tim Dolan in Manhattan for the role he may have had in covering up the crimes while the Archbishop of Milwaukee.

The lawyers deposing Cardinal Dolan represent hundreds of people who say they were sexually molested by priests in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which he led for seven years before his appointment as archbishop of New York in 2009. The lawyers want to know when Cardinal Dolan, as archbishop of Milwaukee, learned of allegations against certain priests, and how quickly he made those allegations public.

Cardinal Dolan is one of two American cardinals who are being deposed in sexual abuse lawsuits this week, and who plan to travel to Rome next week in advance of the proceedings to elect the successor to Pope Benedict XVI. The Milwaukee Archdiocese said recently that it had spent $9 million in legal fees. Creditors accuse the archdiocese, under Archbishop Dolan, of shielding $55 million in a cemetery trust. The archdiocese argued that those assets had been set aside for Catholic burials by Archbishop Dolan’s predecessors.

A spokesman said that Dolan was "eager to cooperate."

Dolan Denies Pedophile Payoffs

Cardinal Timothy Dolan yesterday blasted a New York Times report that revealed his payments to pedophile priests.

“The New York Times does not have a reputation for fair and accurate reporting when it comes to this issue,” Dolan said yesterday after Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown. “So, to respond to charges like that — that are groundless and scurrilous — in my book it’s useless and counterproductive.” Yesterday, Dolan denied that similar payments were being made in the New York Archdiocese, which includes about 400 parishes in Manhattan, The Bronx, Staten Island, and seven suburban counties. “No, thank God. Cardinal Egan did a splendid job — that’s all taken care of,” said Dolan, referring to his predecessor, Edward Cardinal Egan. Dolan didn’t say whether similar payments to abusive Archdiocese of New York priests were made in the past. The cardinal also lashed out at an advocacy group — Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests — that has called the payments “secret deals” and “incentives.” But Dolan fumed, “SNAP has no credibility whatsoever.”

The payoffs were revealed last week in the bankruptcy papers of the Milwaukee Archdiocese. Many suspect that Dolan moved hundreds of millions of dollars while posted there in order to thwart court judgements in favor of the victims of priests.

Archdiocese Of Milwaukee Accused Of 8000 Incidents Of Child Molestation

Court documents filed in the bankruptcy case for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee appear to have revealed over 8000 incidents of child molestation not previously reported. New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who is about to be elevated to Cardinal, is the former Archbishop Of Milwaukee. Some suspect Dolan of having hidden over $130M in church funds in order to avoid massive court-ordered child molestation settlements.

Archdiocese spokeswoman Julie Wolf said she did not have enough information to respond to the assertion, made by attorney Jeffrey Anderson during a pivotal hearing before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley. Anderson represents about 350 of the 570 victim-survivors who have filed claims in the case. But Peter Isely of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests speculated that some are likely members of religious orders, such as Capuchins or Franciscans. Order officials do not typically make public the names of their accused members, and the archdiocese claims it is not responsible for them, though they have historically helped to staff its parishes and schools. "This is a public safety crisis, a child safety crisis that needs to be investigated," Isely said at a news conference on the federal courthouse steps, surrounded by fellow survivors and reporters. "We need to know who they are and where they are. How can there be 8,000 crimes committed by over 100 offenders and there be no accountability?" he said.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has vigorously sought the dismissal of molestation charges against several priests, arguing that the statute of limitations on their crimes has expired. (Tipped by JMG reader Tom)

Wisconsin Book Burning Battle Goes On

Remember the Christian group that wants to burn a gay-themed book that they found in their Milwaukee-area library? The battle rages on and the Christianists now want the library to stock books by "ex-gays" in order to "balance" any books that positively depict homosexuality.

Residents have sparred for months on blogs, airwaves and at meetings, including one where a man told the city's library director he should be tarred and feathered. The row even spread to this year's Fourth of July parade, which included a float featuring a washing machine and a sign that read "keep our library clean." "If you told me we would be going through a book challenge of this nature, I'd think, 'Never in a million years,' " said Michael Tyree, director of the West Bend Community Memorial Library. The strife began in February when West Bend couple Jim and Ginny Maziarka objected to some of the content in the city library's young-adult section. They later petitioned the library board to move any sexually explicit books -- the definition of which would be debated -- from the young-adult section to the adult section and to label them as sexually explicit. Ginny Maziarka, 49, said the books in the section of the library aimed at children aged 12 to 18 included homosexual and heterosexual content she thought was inappropriate for youths. She and her husband also asked the library to obtain books about homosexuality that affirmed heterosexuality, such as titles written by "ex-gays," Maziarka said. "All the books in the young-adult zone that deal with homosexuality are gay-affirming. That's not balance," she said.

More on this idiocy, including videos, can be found over at Towleroad.

First, They Came For The Gays....

A "community activist" group in Milwaukee wants their police chief charged with a felony for committing adultery, something he has admitted.

A group of community activists met face-to-face with the Milwaukee district attorney, demanding criminal charges against the police chief for having an extramarital affair. While they appreciate the crime fighting success of Milwaukee's police chief, they say Ed Flynn's extramarital affair with Jessica McBride is criminal. "It's a felony act," said one activist." The chief has admitted to being in this affair and we think these issues need to be investigated." Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm says adultery, while a felony in Wisconsin, is not on his office's front burner. "This is not a crime that is prosecuted," said Chisholm. "And I know of no case that's been prosecuted by this office since I've been an assistant [district attorney]." A class one felony of adultery can bring three and a half years in prison.

Christian Group Wants To Burn Gay Book

And what century are we living in again?

A group calling itself the Christian Civil Liberties Union filed a claim with the city of Milwaukee seeking the right to burn a public library’s copy of a young-adult book with gay content, according to the American Library Association. The CCLU presented trustees of the West Bend Community Memorial Library with the complaint on June 2, asking for the right to burn or otherwise destroy in public a copy of Baby Be-Bop. The group also demanded $120,000 in damages for being exposed to the book on display, and requested the resignation of West Bend mayor Kristine Deiss for allowing the title to be viewed by the public. Baby Be-Bop, written by Francesca Lia Block, tells the story of a teenager struggling with his homosexuality and an attack by a homophobic gang. It has been the subject of local complaints for months, and has thus far survived attempts to eliminate it.

The Christian Civil Liberties Union claims the book is “explicitly vulgar, racial, and anti-Christian." Racial?