Survivors approve $800 million New York Archdiocese abuse settlement
About 1,300 people are covered by the agreement, which lawyers said survivors approved on October 24. Formal signing is expected in early November.
Survivors of clergy sexual abuse approved an $800 million settlement with the Archdiocese of New York on October 24, their lawyers said, advancing a deal involving claims by about 1,300 people. The archdiocese had agreed to the payment in May; survivors’ approval moves the agreement closer to resolving the claims.
The agreement is expected to be formally signed in early November, Deutsche Welle reported. That step had not occurred when the survivors’ approval was reported. The reports did not establish a payment date.
How the survivors reached agreement
Plaintiffs’ lawyers said all survivors had accepted a revised deal after some had resisted the earlier proposal, according to a New York Times report republished by The Straits Times. Joseph Zwilling, a spokesperson for the archdiocese, told the Times on the night of October 24 that the parties were still working to finalize it. ‘We are not quite there yet,’ he said. The later report of survivors’ approval did not include a new confirmation from the archdiocese that the agreement had been finalized.
Under the proposed terms described by plaintiffs’ lawyers, each plaintiff could choose a lump sum of at least $250,000 or seek a potentially larger payment after a review of the abuse they alleged. The revision included a $20 million pool to be shared by plaintiffs who had held out, the Times reported. Those figures describe the settlement’s terms, rather than payments already made.
Lawyers had warned their clients that failure to agree could lead the archdiocese to declare bankruptcy, reducing eventual payouts and prolonging years of litigation, the Times reported. Paul Mones, whose firm represents 33 plaintiffs, told the Times the survivors had shown ‘an amazing amount of perseverance and patience’ in reaching agreement.
Documents and further claims against insurers
The agreement also requires the archdiocese to release documents concerning sexual offenders in the Church, Reuters reported. The Times described a further requirement to publish the names of clergy and lay leaders credibly accused of sexual abuse and update that list when future claims are substantiated. Accusers and their lawyers said they hoped that measure would expose past abuse and help prevent more of it.
Survivors may still pursue additional payouts from the Church’s insurers under the agreement, Reuters reported. The settlement would allow the archdiocese to avoid bankruptcy while resolving the claims covered by the deal. It comes amid a broader wave of US clergy abuse settlements after New York and other states temporarily allowed lawsuits over allegations dating back decades.
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Sources and context
- New York Archdiocese to pay $800 million to survivors of sexual abuseDeutsche Welle; report credits The New York Times for the 1,300-survivor figure and says the minimum payout is according to media reports
- Abuse survivors approve $800 million settlement with Archdiocese of New YorkReuters, republished by The Straits Times
- New York Archdiocese close to settling sexual abuse claims for over US$800 millionThe New York Times, republished by The Straits Times
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.