• The Society of Jesus' Oregon Province is filing for bankruptcy.
• The province is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy because of the numerous claims of alleged sexual abuse pending against it.
• The Province has settled over 200 claims and awarded victims over $25 million.
• The Province will be able to continue operating while its finances are reorganized.

The Society of Jesus, Oregon Province filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy due to 200 pending or threatened claims of alleged sexual misconduct, according to the Province's Web site.

In addition to the pending claims, the Oregon Province, made up of Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Montana, has settled more than 200 claims and paid in excess of $25 million in the last six years, according to a press release. This number excludes the additional payments made by Oregon Province insurers.

In 2007 alone, settlements equaling $55 million were paid out, according to the Web site.

"Chapter 11 will allow the Oregon Province to resolve pending claims, manage its financial situation, and continue its various ministries in the Northwest in which it has been engaged since 1831," the Rev. Patrick J. Lee, Provincial of the Oregon Province Jesuits said in a press release.

Most of the claims alleged that misconduct occurred between 40 and 60 years ago, with those accused having either died or are in failing health, said the Web site.

John Manly, a victims attorney at Manly and Stewart law firm, said he is aware of cases that took place from the 1960s to 2002. The date the abuses took place is irrelevant, Manly said.

"Out of the nearly 3,000 Jesuits who have served in the Oregon Province since 1950, less than 1 percent has credible allegations of misconduct made against them," the Web site said.

Chapter 11 bankruptcy is available for any business that needs to reorganize its financial affairs, said Ralph Anzivino, a professor at Marquette's Law School.

The result of Chapter 11 is a court-ordered contract between the debtor and the creditors, detailing how they will be treated after the bankruptcy, he said.

Filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy is an extremely common circumstance, it is just unusual for a religious order to be doing it, Anzivino said.

However, the Oregon Province is not the first. A few dioceses have had to file it as well, he said. The dioceses include the Archdiocese of Portland and the Diocese of San Diego.

James Roger, the secretary for communications for the Jesuit Conference of the United States, said the 10 Jesuit provinces in the United States are autonomous and don't report to the offices in Washington, D.C.

Roger said he doesn't know of any other provinces that have filed for Chapter 11.

The Society of Jesus is underneath the umbrella of the Roman Catholic Church, but is not a part of the church proper, Rogers said. In secular terms, it would be like an affiliated organization.

"Our hope is that by filing Chapter 11, we can begin to bring this sad chapter in our Province's history to an end," Lee said in a press release. "We continue to pray for all those who have been hurt by the actions of a few men, so that they can receive the healing and reconciliation that they deserve."

Manly said he thinks this move is a lie. Jesuits preach to hold ourselves to a higher level and yet they're not doing this, Manly said.

Manly, a devout Catholic until he started working with victims abused by clergy, currently has 100 victims claiming they were sexually abused by Jesuits in the Oregon Province, he said.

"They're going to take care of these people over my dead body," Manly said.

The hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church knew this was happening and all they did was move the pedophiles to a different location, Manly said. This makes the Church responsible for what happened, he said.

Leaders of the Oregon Province are currently not commenting on the situation.