NEW YORK (NY)
People Magazine [New York NY]
October 26, 2026
By Dave Quinn
As part of the settlement, the archdiocese must publicly identify clergy members and other church leaders credibly accused of sexual abuse
NEED TO KNOW
- The Archdiocese of New York has agreed to pay more than $800 million to approximately 1,300 people who say they were sexually abused by clergy members and other church leaders
- Reached after more than seven years of litigation, the agreement is the second-largest sexual abuse settlement involving a U.S. Catholic archdiocese
- Survivors can choose a payment of at least $250,000 or seek a potentially larger amount through an individual review, while the archdiocese must publicly identify credibly accused abusers and preserve records of abuse
The Archdiocese of New York has agreed to pay more than $800 million to approximately 1,300 people who say they were sexually abused by clergy members and other church leaders, marking the second-largest settlement of its kind involving a Catholic archdiocese in U.S. history.
Reached after more than seven years of litigation, the historic agreement could bring an end to hundreds of lawsuits against one of the country’s most prominent Catholic institutions. It also represents a significant step toward accountability for survivors who have spent years seeking justice for abuse they say they suffered, in some cases decades ago.
Attorneys representing the survivors announced that all 1,300 plaintiffs had agreed to the settlement’s terms, clearing a major hurdle in negotiations that had stretched on for nearly a year, according to a statement from Jeff Anderson & Associates released on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Archbishop Ronald Hicks confirmed the agreement in an email to clergy members on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. However, the settlement will not become final until all parties formally sign the documents, which is expected to happen during the week of Nov. 6.
“The unanimous agreement of survivors who filed claims against the Archdiocese of New York marks a powerful moment in the pursuit of justice,” attorney Jeff Anderson, whose firm represents approximately 300 plaintiffs, said in a statement.
“Through their courage, sacrifice, and determination, survivors have helped bring about a reckoning and a meaningful step toward accountability,” he added.
Under the proposed agreement, each plaintiff will have the option of accepting a lump-sum payment of at least $250,000 or seeking a potentially larger amount following an individual review of their allegations, according to a press release from Herman Law, which represents approximately 260 survivors.
The settlement also includes provisions intended to increase transparency and help prevent future abuse. According to a separate statement from Anderson released Sunday, Oct. 25, the archdiocese will be required to publish and regularly update a list of clergy members and lay leaders who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse.
Previously confidential files documenting allegations against priests will also be made publicly available at the conclusion of the litigation, Anderson said. The New York Times reported that the agreement calls for a public archive of documented abuse at Iona University.
“This settlement is not just about money,” attorney Jeff Herman told the outlet. “The Archdiocese is now required to publish the names of its abusers and keep that list current. That protects children going forward, and it is long overdue.”
The agreement follows a lengthy legal battle that began after New York enacted its Child Victims Act in 2019.
The legislation expanded the ability of survivors of childhood sexual abuse to pursue civil claims against alleged abusers and institutions accused of protecting them. It also temporarily lifted longstanding legal deadlines, allowing people whose claims would otherwise have been barred to file lawsuits regardless of how much time had passed, according to the AP.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs and representatives of the archdiocese spent years negotiating a potential settlement. Although the two sides reached a preliminary framework in May, the agreement required every plaintiff to accept its terms before it could move forward.
That proved particularly challenging for some survivors who believed the proposed compensation did not adequately reflect the harm they had suffered. A group of plaintiffs initially refused to accept the agreement, the Times reported, delaying the settlement as attorneys continued negotiations. Some survivors also died during the yearslong legal process.
Lawyers warned their clients that failure to reach a settlement could force the archdiocese into bankruptcy, potentially reducing compensation and prolonging an already lengthy legal battle, the newspaper reported.
“The survivors showed an amazing amount of perseverance and patience here,” attorney Paul Mones, whose firm represents 33 plaintiffs, told the Times. “After a lifetime of pain and struggle, they mustered the energy to push that final mile. And hopefully this deal will give them a degree of solace and healing.”
In a statement on Sunday, Anderson also shared anonymous reactions from three survivors, including one who acknowledged that no financial agreement could undo the trauma they had experienced. “My soul was shattered, my family broken, my innocence lost — it can’t be undone,” the survivor said. “This deal won’t do it. It does give me a better chance this late in life, for a better life.”
Another survivor expressed hope that the agreement would help prevent others from experiencing similar abuse. “Now I can know that kids in our community are safer,” the person said.
The mounting lawsuits had placed considerable financial pressure on the Archdiocese of New York, which serves approximately 2.5 million Catholics across Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island and seven counties north of New York City.
Church officials reduced the archdiocese’s operating budget by 10% and sold valuable real estate holdings, including its Manhattan headquarters and the land beneath the Palace Hotel, to help fund the settlement, the Times reported.
Individual parishes were also asked to contribute money, raising concerns among some parishioners about the potential impact on their local churches.
In his Saturday email to the clergy, Hicks acknowledged the progress toward a resolution and expressed hope that the agreement would provide some measure of healing, according to NPR, which obtained a copy of his message. “We are on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors,” he wrote.
The proposed settlement is among the largest in a series of major financial agreements reached by Catholic institutions across the United States in response to decades of sexual abuse allegations.
In 2024, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $880 million to approximately 1,000 survivors, in addition to $740 million in previously paid claims. Earlier this year, the Archdiocese of San Francisco reached a $395 million settlement involving approximately 500 lawsuits, while a federal judge approved an agreement worth at least $230 million involving the Archdiocese of New Orleans in December 2025.
For the approximately 1,300 plaintiffs in New York, the agreement marks the culmination of years of legal proceedings and efforts to hold the church accountable.
“This is an extraordinary achievement for the survivors,” attorney Trusha Goffe, of Jeff Anderson & Associates, said per the firm’s release on Saturday. “The survivors remained resolute through years of litigation to reach this monumental settlement.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.