Facing more than 450 lawsuits from sex assault victims, the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego has announced plans to file for bankruptcy in the coming days. In a June 13 letter, Cardinal Robert McElroy told parishioners that the diocese needed to file for bankruptcy to pay hundreds of sex abuse claims. "Bankruptcy offers the best path forward," wrote Cardinal McElroy. Doing so, wrote McElroy, will help "achieve the settlement of the approximately 450 legal claims that have been brought to court seeking compensation for victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by clergy and lay employees over the past eighty years." The anticipated bankruptcy filing comes more than 17 years after the diocese paid out $198 million to a total of 144 victims of abuse. MORE: https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/san-diego-roman-catholic-diocese-to-file-bankruptcy/509-70b7f92b-586d-4ed3-b06e-d183f3d80d15