SYRACUSE (NY)
Premier Christian News [Crowborough, England]
February 26, 2026
By Premier journalist
Survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in Syracuse are set to receive a $176.1 million settlement, a judge has ruled.
Judge Wendy Kinsella, who oversees federal bankruptcy cases in upstate New York, said in August that she would approve the plan after hearing from survivors and clergy. The collective compensative payment will be issued through a trust fund.
The diocese later confirmed in a statement that the judge has now formally approved the plan. Bishop Douglas Lucia, who leads the Syracuse diocese, has repeatedly apologised to survivors and said the legal process has been “significant burden” on claimants.
Bishop Douglas has invited survivors of sexual abuse to attend a “Blue Sunday” Mass at the diocese’s cathedral in Syracuse on April 26, to recognise survivors of child abuse.
In 2019, the diocese agreed to a $12,493,093 settlement to compensate victims of child sexual abuse, which was funded entirely through the diocese’s liability insurance.
The diocese later filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June 2020, after facing 411 sexual abuse lawsuits.
The settlement is the latest in a long line of multi-million dollar payouts by the Catholic church to victims of abuse.
In September 2025, the Archdiocese of New Orleans agreed to a proposed $230 million settlement, following years of legal negotiations. The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in May 2020.