Catholic diocese refiles bankruptcy malpractice lawsuit

The Catholic Diocese of Spokane has refiled its multimillion-dollar bankruptcy malpractice lawsuit against law firm Paine Hamblen. The case was originally filed in U.S. District Court in 2012, and then dismissed on a technicality last spring. The diocese and Bishop Blase Cupich accuse the Spokane firm and two of its lawyers of mishandling its historic bankruptcy that took several years and $50 million to resolve. Paine Hamblen managing partner Jane Brown said the firm provided excellent counsel and guided the diocese out of a crisis that included more than 180 claims of Catholic priests and other clergy sexually abusing children during the course of many decades. The case is now filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.