NEW YORK (NY)
CBS News [New York NY]
May 1, 2026
By Alexa Herrera
The Archdiocese of New York has offered to pay $800 million in a settlement to 1,300 people who say they were sexually abused as minors.
The case stemmed from claims under the Child Victims Act. The legislation passed in 2019 gave a one-year window for sexual abuse survivors to file civil lawsuits barred by the statute of limitations.
The proposed settlement comes months after the church sold off valuable properties, laid off staff and cut its operating budget to come up with the funds.
“For nearly six years, the Archdiocese and its insurers, including Chubb Insurance, have been fighting the survivors. The proposed framework of a settlement is a transcendent triumph of courage by the survivors who have endured so much for so long,” attorney Jeff Anderson said. “It is far from full accountability, but it is a measure of responsibility and required transparency by the Archdiocese that also requires the release of documents pertaining to sexual offenders.”
Details of the proposed settlement
The archdiocese will have to pay $615 million in the first installment, and the other $185 million will be distributed within 15 months, attorneys said.
The settlement includes an opportunity for victims to pursue money from the archdiocese’s insurance companies. Those funds would go into a trust if recovered.
Additionally, the church will have to keep maintaining its list of accused clergy on its website. They must update it with any new claims.
Anderson is urging his clients to accept the settlement deal.
“To the survivors the credit is due – for having spoken their voice, having stood up, revealed the truth, and exposed the offenders and top officials of the Archdiocese who’ve allowed these heinous crimes to have occurred – past and present,” he said.
N.Y. Archbishop Ronald Hicks speaks out
Archbishop of New York Ronald Hicks, who was just installed in February, said he is “cautiously optimistic” about the proposed settlement.
“If a truly global settlement can be achieved, compensation will become available to victim-survivors in the fastest, most comprehensive manner possible, without the need for lengthy, painful litigation for victim-survivors or bankruptcy proceedings for the Archdiocese,” he said in a statement.
“The Archdiocese of New York continues our prayerful work to recognize and affirm the pain these individuals have experienced, and do all that we can to promote healing and reconciliation,” he wrote.
Archdiocese previously negotiates $300 million settlement
In December, the church said it was raising $300 million and named a mediator to help reach a settlement with accusers.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan previously said the church sold the archdiocese’s headquarters on First Avenue in Manhattan, laid off staff and reduced the operating budget by 10%.
Churches across New York have filed for bankruptcy due to lawsuits under the Child Victims Act.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Scarsdale filed in December. Dolan said it was their only financial option, as the parish was frequently named as a defendant in abuse cases.
In 2021, the headquarters of the Diocese of Rockville Centre was sold after it faced more than 200 lawsuits under the legislation. It is the largest Roman Catholic diocese in the country to declare bankruptcy.