The Diocese of Rockville Center, New York, is considering a bankruptcy filing, a spokesman has revealed. The diocese has asked a court for a temporary stay in sex-abuse cases, saying that the sheer number of lawsuits, and the cost of litigation, could exhaust the funds that might be available to plaintiffs. Two other New York dioceses—Buffalo and Rochester—have filed for bankruptcy protection in the past year. In total, 23 American dioceses have entered bankruptcy in the wake of the sex-abuse scandal.