Archdiocese of Los Angeles Reaches $880 Million Settlement for Clergy Abuse Cases

Historic Settlement Reached by Archdiocese of Los Angeles

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, recognized as the largest archdiocese in the United States, has reached a groundbreaking settlement of $880 million with 1,353 individuals who have alleged that they were sexually abused as children by members of the Catholic clergy. This monumental agreement, regarded by experts as the highest single payout ever made by a diocese in such cases, brings the total financial compensation related to sex abuse lawsuits in Los Angeles to over $1.5 billion.

This significant settlement was publicly announced on Wednesday through a joint statement released by the attorneys representing the plaintiffs and officials from the archdiocese. In his heartfelt statement, Archbishop José H. Gomez expressed profound remorse, stating, “I am sorry for every one of these incidents, from the bottom of my heart. My hope is that this settlement will provide some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered.”

This recent settlement surpasses the previous record set in 2007, when the Archdiocese of Los Angeles settled lawsuits with 508 individuals for $660 million. Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org—a nonprofit organization dedicated to tracking clergy abuse cases—remarked, “There are a lot more dominoes in California to come down,” alluding to other dioceses that have yet to finalize settlements or have sought bankruptcy protection.

The agreement signifies a major step towards resolving decades of litigation against the archdiocese, with only a handful of lawsuits still pending. Over the years, the archdiocese has undertaken various financial strategies to manage the overwhelming costs associated with these legal battles, including: