New York Archdiocese and Abuse Survivors Reach Proposed $800 Million Settlement

The Archdiocese of New York and attorneys representing about 1,300 people who allege sexual abuse by clergy and lay workers have agreed to an $800 million settlement, a deal that would become the second-largest US settlement involving a Catholic archdiocese if finalised. Archbishop Ronald Hicks confirmed the agreement in an email to clergy on Saturday, after lawyers for survivors announced it. Hicks said the settlement was not yet final because the parties still had to sign the agreement, an action scheduled for the week of November 6, according to ABC News.

The proposed deal follows more than seven years of lawsuits. The parties reached a framework in May that required everyone who had filed a claim to approve it. ABC News reported that all approximately 1,300 claimants had agreed, citing an attorney for some of the plaintiffs and the archdiocese’s announcement.

Jeff Anderson, an attorney who represents people who filed more than 1,000 claims against the Catholic Church in New York state, called the unanimous agreement a significant moment in the pursuit of justice. He said survivors’ persistence had produced what he described as a step toward accountability. The archdiocese covers the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island, as well as seven counties north of New York City.

ABC News said it includes about 300 churches, more than 150 parochial schools and 2.5 million Catholics. In his message to clergy, Hicks said the agreement could bring “some measure of healing and reconciliation” to survivors. He also said it would allow the archdiocese to return its full attention to its religious and social mission, including caring for the poor, welcoming strangers and educating children.

The settlement is linked to a New York law enacted in 2019 that expanded the time available for survivors of child sexual abuse to sue both alleged abusers and institutions that protected them. The law allows claims until survivors turn 55; people who were already older than 55 when it was enacted received a separate filing window that ended in August 2021. If completed, the New York agreement would rank below the $880 million settlement reached by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2024 with 1,000 abuse victims.

ABC News said Los Angeles had also paid a further $740 million in earlier claims. Other recent agreements included San Francisco’s $395 million settlement over about 500 lawsuits and a New Orleans settlement of at least $230 million approved in December 2025. The reports describe the New York figure as an agreed settlement, not a completed payment.

The final documents still need to be signed, and the supplied material does not explain how the money will be distributed, how the archdiocese will finance it or whether additional claims could remain outside the agreement. The agreement therefore represents a major development in the litigation, but not its formal conclusion. Its legal effect depends on the scheduled signing and the terms ultimately approved by the parties.