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US Catholic Archdiocese Of New York To Pay $800 Million To Settle 1,300 Sex Abuse Cases
The Archdiocese of New York agreed to pay $800 million to settle about 1,300 sex abuse claims, avoiding bankruptcy. The deal is subject to final documentation and survivor agreement, with additional payouts possible against insurers and a release of church offender documents.
Why It Matters
The settlement is one of the largest in a wave of clergy abuse cases nationwide and reflects ongoing legal changes enabling abuse survivors to pursue claims. It also marks a rare instance of a major Catholic institution resolving such cases without bankruptcy.
Timeline
5 Events
Archdiocese of New York agrees to $800 million settlement
May 1, 2026
The Archdiocese of New York agreed to pay $800 million to settle about 1,300 abuse survivor claims. The settlement is subject to final documentation and full survivor agreement. It also includes releasing documents about sexual offenders and allows survivors to pursue additional payouts against insurers, while avoiding bankruptcy.
Friday statement on settlement progress
April 30, 2026
Attorney Jeff Anderson stated in a Friday statement that the settlement would end nearly six years of legal battles with the archdiocese and its insurers.
Mediation begins under Judge Buckley
December 2025
The Church and survivors began mediation in December 2025 under retired Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Daniel Buckley, who also mediated the Los Angeles settlement.
Archdiocese of Los Angeles settles for $880 million
2024
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles reached an $880 million settlement with abuse survivors in 2024, one of the largest deals in the United States.
New York enacts the Child Victims Act
2019
New York's Child Victims Act, passed in 2019, enabled survivors to file lawsuits over decades-old abuse, contributing to a wave of clergy sex-abuse litigation.