New York Catholic Archdiocese to pay $800 million in historic abuse settlement

The Archdiocese of New York has agreed to an $800 million settlement with approximately 1,300 victims of clergy sexual abuse, marking the second-largest payout by a U.S. Catholic archdiocese. Archbishop Ronald Hicks sent an email Saturday to clergy confirming the settlement after attorneys for the survivors of alleged abuse announced it. Hicks said the agreement will not be final until the parties sign it, an action scheduled for the week of Nov. 6.The Archdiocese of Los Angeles reached the largest U.S. sexual abuse settlement to date, agreeing in 2024 to pay $880 million to 1,000 victims in addition to $740 million in previous payouts. Other major Catholic archdiocese settlements include $395 million in San Francisco for around 500 lawsuits and at least $230 million approved in New Orleans. The agreement with the New York archdiocese would end more than seven years of lawsuits. The parties agreed to a framework for an agreement in May that required everyone who filed a claim to sign off.New York Archdiocese Abuse Settlement (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)“The unanimous agreement of survivors who filed claims against the Archdiocese of New York marks a powerful moment in the pursuit of justice,” Jeff Anderson, an attorney representing people who filed more than 1,000 of claims against the Catholic Church in New York state, said in a statement. “Through their courage, sacrifice, and determination, survivors have helped bring about a reckoning and a meaningful step toward accountability.”The Archdiocese of New York covers the city's boroughs of the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island as well as seven counties to the north of New York City and is home to about 300 churches, more than 150 parochial schools and 2.5 million Catholics.In his email to clergy, Hicks said that if church members ask about the settlement, “please let them know that much progress has been made.”“We are on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors,” he wrote. “This agreement will also allow the archdiocese to turn its full attention once again to its mission of preaching the Gospel, healing the sick, caring for the poor and needy, welcoming the stranger, and educating our children.”A New York law enacted in 2019 allows survivors of child sexual abuse to file lawsuits against their abusers and institutions that shielded them until they turn 55. People who had already had turned 55 when the law was enacted also were given until August 2021 to file lawsuits, no matter when the alleged abuse occurred.“This is an extraordinary achievement for the survivors,” said Trusha Goffe, an attorney in Anderson’s firm. "The survivors remined resolute through years of litigation to reach this monumental settlement.”