Survivors approve an $800 million settlement with the Archdiocese of New York

The Archdiocese of New York will pay $800 million to settle the claims of about 1,300 people who say clergy members and lay workers sexually abused them. Lawyers for the survivors said on Saturday that every claimant had agreed to the settlement. Jeff Anderson and Associates, which represents 300 of the survivors, called the unanimous agreement "a powerful moment in the pursuit of justice."

Jeff Anderson said his clients felt sorrow about the abuse and relief that the legal fight had ended. "The first is a real sense of relief and achievement," he said, "and the belief that having stood up at least they have now a chance to move forward and have done something to protect others in the future and clean up the archdiocese of New York."

Archbishop Ronald Hicks told the priests of the archdiocese the same afternoon that the deal was reached but not yet signed. "We are on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim survivors," Hicks 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." Procedural steps remain before survivors can receive payments. Reports on the terms say each survivor will receive at least $250,000, with larger amounts possible after an assessment of the abuse.

The claims grew out of New York's Child Victims Act, which opened a window for people to sue over abuse that the old statute of limitations had barred. Litigation ran for more than seven years. The two sides reached a settlement framework in May, after nearly a year of negotiation, while the archdiocese faced the prospect of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing that could have delayed compensation. In December 2025 the archdiocese agreed to mediation, laid off staff and planned sales of Manhattan property to raise money for survivors. Under the agreement, the archdiocese will release documents on sexual offenders in the Church and keep a public list of credibly accused clergy. Survivors keep the right to pursue the Church's insurers for further payouts, and the archdiocese avoids bankruptcy.

Only one American settlement of this kind is larger. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $880 million in 2024. Catholic dioceses across the United States have paid billions of dollars in settlements in recent years, after New York and other states changed their laws to let survivors bring decades old claims into court. The New York archdiocese covers Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island and seven counties north of the city, with about 300 churches and more than 150 parochial schools.