Filing window status
California's AB 218 three-year revival window ran from 2020 through 2022, and this diocese is now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, where survivor claims are resolved through a court-supervised compensation process with its own filing deadlines. California law separately allows childhood sexual assault claims until age 40 or within five years of connecting the harm to the abuse, and has no deadline for abuse occurring on or after January 1, 2024. Because a bankruptcy bar date can control, a free, confidential review can confirm your deadline.
Deadlines are state-specific and change often. Even if you think a window has passed, it is worth confirming — exceptions can apply. A free, confidential review can tell you where you stand.
The record
Key Facts
Fact 01
~153 AB 218 abuse claims
Source: Diocese of Fresno / NCR
Fact 02
Chapter 11 filed July 1, 2025
Source: Diocese of Fresno
Fact 03
~50 clergy on credibly-accused list (2021)
Source: Diocese of Fresno
Fact 04
Assets and liabilities each $50M–$100M range
Source: Chapter 11 bankruptcy schedules
What is documented
The Allegations
The full account
The Record
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 1, 2025 to address roughly 153 pending sexual abuse claims filed under California's Child Victims Act (AB 218). Bishop Joseph Brennan had announced the diocese's intent to file in May 2024, and formal Vatican approval followed in June 2025.
The claims relate to approximately 50 clergy members named on the diocese's credibly-accused list, published in 2021. The diocese's bankruptcy schedules listed assets and liabilities each in the $50 million to $100 million range, and its chief financial officer said the volume of lawsuits placed the diocese in “immediate, dire financial distress.”
Fresno became the fourth Northern California diocese in bankruptcy, joining Sacramento, Oakland and the Archdiocese of San Francisco. A compensation fund is to be established through the Chapter 11 plan to pay validated claims.
Sources & attribution