The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego has filed bankruptcy

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The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego has filed bankruptcy so it can put off going to trial in more then 140 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests.

In a letter on their website, Bishop Robert Brom said the diocese made its decision because any damages awarded early in a trial could deplete "diocesan and insurance resources," leaving nothing for other victims. He also noted the time the process could take.

The bankruptcy protection was planned by midnight on Tuesday before having to go forward today in a San Diego courtroom. the Chapter 11 filing automatically halts court proceedings.

With over 1 million parishioners, San Diego becomes the fifth U.S. diocese to file for bankruptcy protection.

The bankruptcy filing was a way to keep potentially embarrassing information under wraps. "For three years they've told people they want to settle, they want to be transparent, but the moment it became clear the truth will come out through a jury trial, they sought to shut down victims' ability to get compensated and get out the truth," said John Manly, a lawyer representing a victim scheduled for trial in April. "It's wrong, and they're not going to get away with this."

If the trial would have gone ahead , the court would have heard from a woman that was forced by a priest to have sex with him in his parish office when 17. Other trials would have followed involving multiple victims where the diocese protected abusive priests by moving them from parish to parish.