(AP) – The Los Angeles archdiocese agreed to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse dating back decades, in what a lawyer said was the largest single child sexual abuse settlement with a Catholic archdiocese, according to It was announced this Wednesday.
Following the announcement of the agreement in principle, Archbishop José H. Gómez said in a statement: “I regret each of these incidents, from the bottom of my heart.”
“My hope is that this agreement provides some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered,” the archbishop added. “I believe we have reached a resolution to these lawsuits that will provide fair compensation to the survivors-victims of these past abuses.”
Lawyers for 1,353 people who allege they suffered horrific abuse at the hands of local Catholic priests reached the settlement after months of negotiations with the archdiocese, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The agreement ends a quarter-century of litigation against the most populous archdiocese in the United States.
Lawyers for the Plaintiffs Liaison Committee said in a joint statement: “While no amount of money can replace what was taken from these 1,353 brave people who have suffered in silence for decades, there is justice in accountability. ”
Under the agreement, the plaintiffs will begin a process – in which the archdiocese will not participate – to distribute the settlement amount among the participants.
The archdiocese previously paid $740 million to victims in various settlements and had pledged to better protect its church members, so this settlement would put the total payout at more than $1.5 billion, according to the Times.
Attorney Morgan Stewart, who led the negotiations, said in a statement that the settlement is the largest single settlement for child sexual abuse with a Catholic archdiocese.
“These survivors have suffered the consequences of abuse for decades. Dozens of them died. They are getting older, and so are many of those who knew about the abuse within the Church. It was time to resolve this,” Stewart told the Times.
The agreement will be financed with investments from the archdiocese, accumulated reserves, bank financing and other assets. According to the archdiocese, some religious orders and other people named in the litigation will also cover part of the cost of the settlement, the Times said.
Add Comment