NEW ORLEANS (LA)
Nola.com [New Orleans, LA]
September 15, 2026
By Stephanie Riegel
The Archdiocese of New Orleans disputed claims that it hadn’t probed abuse claims, calling them a ‘misrepresentation of the facts.’
The trustee overseeing the bankruptcy settlement between the Archdiocese of New Orleans and hundreds of clergy sex abuse survivors is questioning the local Roman Catholic Church’s commitment to provisions of the settlement aimed at ending decades of secrecy around child sexual abuse by clergy.
In a 45-page court filing on Monday, Don Massey, the independent trustee, told the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Orleans that the archdiocese has “flatly refused” his request that they investigate 11 clergy members accused of child sexual abuse that surfaced during the bankruptcy claims review process.
Massey said the allegations against the clergy members were previously found by the archdiocese’s own Internal Review Board to be credible but that they were never added to the official credibly accused clergy list and that they have since been named in multiple proof of claim filings, “and/or have active abuse survivors who can present the facts of their abuse…yet their names have not been added to the list.”
As part of the church’s $300 million bankruptcy settlement with hundreds of abuse survivors, Archbishop Gregory Aymond, who stepped down in February, agreed to more than a dozen new child protection measures that included hiring new experts, implementing tougher reporting procedures and creating a public database of past abuse cases, including the list of clergy that had been credibly accused of abuse.
Attorneys for abuse survivors said it would be a “gold standard.”
Massey, an independent attorney appointed by the court to ensure that the bankruptcy settlement is executed, said the archdiocese, “is not demonstrating transparency nor a culture of change.”
“It is morally repugnant and unconscionable to allow ANO to continue to suppress identities of credibly accused abusers, as has been the case for decades,” he wrote.
In a prepared statement late Monday, the archdiocese called Massey’s assertions that it is not investigating claims against clergy, “a misrepresentation of the facts.”
“All living archdiocesan clergy named in a proof of claim have been presented to the Internal Review Board or are still under investigation for presentation to the IRB for its recommendation on suitability for ministry,” the statement said.
The statement also said that Archbishop James Checchio, who succeeded Aymond early this year, has ordered a review of all deceased archdiocesan clergy named in a proof of claim to be presented to the review board, a process that is already underway.
“Archbishop Checchio and archdiocesan leadership work tirelessly everyday to honor our commitments to survivors and to keep children entrusted to our ministries safe,” said the statement, provided by spokesperson Sarah McDonald.
In his filing Monday, Massey suggested that there was a path forward to upholding the provisions of the settlement, writing that “we remain optimistic that a culture of change can be more than aspirational, and actually be achieved.”
Red flags
The latest salvos come more than nine months after the archdiocese ended its nearly six-year bankruptcy case with hundreds of clergy abuse survivors. The complex settlement created a trust of more than $300 million to be distributed over time among eligible survivors.
Court documents filed Monday show nearly 740 survivors are eligible to receive a portion of the trust.
The plan also includes more than a dozen “nonmonetary” provisions creating new, tougher child protection and abuse reporting policies, as well as a public database detailing past abuse cases.
In November 2024, when attorneys for the church jointly announced the provisions with attorneys for abuse survivors, before the case was settled, they said the measures would be “the gold standard in youth protection and child sexual abuse prevention.”
But Massey flagged several areas where he said the archdiocese is falling short.
Massey said he and attorneys for some abuse survivors wrote to the archdiocese’s Vicar of the Clergy in July seeking an investigation of the clergy members not on the credibly accused list. Two of the 11 clergy are named in 11 claims each, court documents show.
“Shortly after submitting the request, it was rejected,” Massey wrote.
Massey also said he was concerned about a provision in the settlement that allows the archdiocese to redact from a public database the names of clergy that have not previously been included on the official credibly accused list. The database, which will be housed at LSU, will detail past abuse cases.
Massey said allowing the archdiocese to redact the names of credibly accused abusers from the database “perpetuates a static culture that resulted in ANO seeking bankruptcy protection in the first place.”
Another concern Massey raised in his court filing is what he said was the archdiocese’s refusal to identify the members of its Internal Review Board, which is in charge of looking into allegations of clergy abuse. Keeping the names of the board members secret, even from the trustee, perpetuates a lack of trust, he wrote.
Massey also said he has become aware of several instances of post-bankruptcy filing allegations of abuse by clergy.
“Some instances were related by individual survivors and their lawyers, and others were the subject of public media coverage. All of it is concerning,” he wrote.
What now?
This isn’t the first time Massey has raised concerns about the church’s commitment to following the non-monetary provisions of the bankruptcy settlement.
During a May status conference, he noted several concerns though he told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Grabill that he was optimistic the two sides would work together and the nonmonetary provisions would be implemented.
Grabill said she wanted an update and set a follow-up conference. It is scheduled for Thursday.