NEW ORLEANS (LA)
WVUE - Fox 8 [New Orleans LA]
December 8, 2025
By Thanh Truong
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A settlement plan ending the yearslong bankruptcy case of the Archdiocese of New Orleans was approved Monday (Dec. 8) by a federal judge in New Orleans.
The agreement, which includes a $230 million settlement for survivors of clergy sexual abuse, was approved by U.S. District Judge Meredith Grabill. It ends one of the longest and costliest church bankruptcies in the country.
The archdiocese sought bankruptcy protection in 2020, after more than 600 claims of clergy sex abuse were brought against it.
Attorneys for the archdiocese and survivors of the alleged sexual abuse negotiated for nearly five years before agreeing to a $230 million settlement.
Today’s ruling sets in motion several things, including the creation of a fund to pay survivors and the establishment of a new set of reforms designed to strengthen child protection and protocols for reporting child abuse in the archdiocese.
Attorneys for the archdiocese say money will begin moving into the survivors’ fund as early as Dec. 26.
Attorneys representing survivors said the child abuse reforms will take effect by Jan. 1, 2026.
This developing story will be updated.