Diocese of Oakland gets another extension of exclusive plan periods

By Sarah Lizee

Olympia, Wash., Dec. 20 – The Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland, known as the Diocese of Oakland, secured a second extension of its exclusive periods to file and solicit votes on a Chapter 11 plan, according to an order filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California.

The court extended the exclusive plan filing period through May 6 from Jan. 5 and its exclusive solicitation period through July 5, 2024 from March 4.

The debtor said that since the court approved its first exclusivity extension, it has continued to provide documentation and information to the official committee of unsecured creditors and the U.S. trustee; obtained approval of a claims bar date and begun review of filed claims; pursued recovery on its insurance assets through two adversary proceedings; and engaged with the committee and some of its historical insurance carriers.

Based on the court’s recent rulings, the diocese will also be producing documents to insurers and will continue to pursue coverage from the insurers under the debtor’s applicable insurance policies.

The diocese said it has also reached agreement with the committee regarding proposed mediators and will soon be filing a motion with the court seeking approval to mediate with the committee.

The debtor has also asked the insurers to provide names of possible mediators for use in connection with mediating coverage issues.

The diocese said it needs additional time to evaluate how a plan can best be structured, to review and analyze claims following the claims bar date and continue to negotiate and ultimately mediate with the committee and other constituencies.

The debtor said it also needs additional time to prosecute and liquidate its claims against the insurers in two adversary proceedings, which the diocese believes will materially increase the assets available to satisfy claims.

The diocese filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 8, 2023 under case number 23-40523.

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