New York archdiocese reaches $800 million settlement with clergy abuse survivors

The Archdiocese of New York and lawyers for about 1,300 people who say they were sexually abused by clergy have agreed to an $800 million settlement, the second-largest of its kind for a U.S. Catholic archdiocese. It is set to be signed the week of Nov. 6.

The Archdiocese of New York and attorneys for about 1,300 people who say they were sexually abused by clergy have agreed to an $800 million settlement, ending more than seven years of lawsuits, NBC News and NPR reported. The deal is the second-largest of its kind involving a U.S. Catholic archdiocese.

The agreement is not final until the parties sign it, which is scheduled for the week of Nov. 6. The sides agreed on a framework in May that required every claimant to sign off. Attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents survivors, called it a "powerful moment in the pursuit of justice" and said survivors had helped bring about "a reckoning."

The nave of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York

In an email to clergy on Saturday, Archbishop Ronald Hicks wrote that the church is "on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors," adding that the agreement would let the archdiocese return its focus to its mission.

The lawsuits followed a 2019 New York law that allowed survivors of child sexual abuse to sue abusers and the institutions that shielded them. The only larger U.S. settlement was reached by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which agreed in 2024 to pay $880 million to about 1,000 victims.