New York archdiocese agrees $800m settlement with about 1,300 clergy abuse survivors

The Archdiocese of New York and survivors of clergy sexual abuse have agreed to a settlement worth more than $800 million, resolving claims brought by approximately 1,300 people, lawyers said on Saturday (Reuters, CNN).

The deal is the second-largest involving a Catholic archdiocese in the United States, behind only the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which agreed in 2024 to pay $880 million to abuse victims (Reuters, CNN).

Archbishop Ronald Hicks sent an email to clergy on Saturday confirming the settlement, saying it will not be final until the parties sign it, an action scheduled for the week of 6 November (CNN). The agreement ends more than seven years of lawsuits, after the parties agreed a framework in May that required everyone who filed a claim to sign off (CNN).

Each survivor will have the option of a lump-sum payment of at least $250,000 or a potentially larger payout after an individual review of the abuse they suffered (PR Newswire via Morningstar). The archdiocese also agreed to release documents about sexual offenders in the Church, and to publish and keep updated a public list of clergy members and lay leaders credibly accused of sexual abuse (Reuters, PR Newswire via Morningstar).

The settlement avoids a bankruptcy by the archdiocese, while allowing survivors to litigate against the Church’s insurers for additional payouts (Reuters).

“We are on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors,” Hicks wrote in the email, which was forwarded to AFP by the archdiocese (AFP via Free Malaysia Today). Jeff Anderson, an attorney for survivors, called the unanimous agreement “a powerful moment in the pursuit of justice” (CNN).