Like being ‘stabbed in the back’: abuse survivors left without trials after Christian Brothers’ unprecedented legal tactic

Lawyers were given little advance warning about the Christian Brothers’ proposed moratorium. Photograph: John White Photos/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Lawyers were given little advance warning about the Christian Brothers’ proposed moratorium. Photograph: John White Photos/Getty Images Like being ‘stabbed in the back’: abuse survivors left without trials after Christian Brothers’ unprecedented legal tactic Order wants to set up its own scheme outside of court to pay survivors, who have been told they will not get what they are owed in full Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast An abuse survivor feels as if he has been stabbed with a “sharp, long, bladed knife to the back” after his trial was aborted at the 11th hour due to an unprecedented legal tactic by the Christian Brothers. Last week, the Christian Brothers sought a permanent halt to hundreds of cases lodged by survivors of abuse at its schools and orphanages, arguing it was about to go broke and could not afford to meet them. It instead wants to sell off its remaining property portfolio, and set up its own scheme outside the court, to divide up the proceeds between a range of creditors, including survivors. Church property records obtained by Guardian Australia show the Christian Brothers has spent the past decade transferring vast wealth – including holdings of land, school buildings and multimillion-dollar homes – to another Catholic entity, Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA), for $1 each. Those assets will not be sold off to help survivors, according to EREA. The attorney general Michelle Rowland’s spokesperson said the government “takes any alleged attempts by institutions to hide assets from victims of child sexual abuse extremely seriously”. Arnold Thomas & Becker has 78 claims against the Christian Brothers on behalf of abuse survivors. Partner Jodie Harris said her firm would be scrutinising the property transfers with “laser focus”. “[Survivors] know about the movement of assets to Edmund Rice over a period of time, and for them, all it is is the Christian Brothers trying to protect themselves again, at [expense to] their lives that have been devastated,” Harris said. “That’s certainly where most plaintiff lawyers, most lawyers who are acting for people who were abused are looking. We are looking very, very hard at that.” Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email Lawyers were given little advance warning about the Christian Brothers’ proposed moratorium. One survivor was due to finally have their trial heard against the Christian Brothers beginning on Monday. It has been aborted. “After every delaying tactic in the book was used up – to be told that there is little, perhaps no money available after years of my family and myself hanging on by our fingernails, days before trial, is like my white-collared, black-robed rapist returning to finish me off with four deep thrusts of a sharp, long-bladed knife to the back, after fifty years of gradual