New York archdiocese agrees $800m abuse settlement

He wrote that the deal "is not yet final" and won't be until the settlement is signed, which is "now scheduled for the week of November 6th." But "we have, in fact, reached an understanding with all of the plaintiffs and their attorneys," he wrote.

The settlement covers all outstanding claims against the archdiocese, its parishes and affiliated agencies brought under New York's Child Victims Act, according to the archbishop.

"We are on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors," Hicks wrote. "This agreement will also allow the archdiocese to turn its full attention once again to its mission of preaching the Gospel, healing the sick, caring for the poor and needy, welcoming the stranger, and educating our children."

He thanked the people who negotiated the deal, and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, "under whose leadership this process began."

What survivors' lawyers say

Jeff Anderson, whose firm represents many of the plaintiffs, said all of the survivors had agreed to the deal. "The unanimous agreement of survivors who filed claims against the Archdiocese of New York marks a powerful moment in the pursuit of justice," he said in a statement reported by AP and carried by the National Catholic Reporter. "Through their courage, sacrifice, and determination, survivors have helped bring about a reckoning and a meaningful step toward accountability."

Anderson told NPR his clients had mixed feelings, with sorrow over what they'd been through and relief that the legal fight was ending. "The first is a real sense of relief and achievement," he said, along with "the belief that having stood up at least they have now a chance to move forward and have done something to protect others in the future."

"This is an extraordinary achievement for the survivors," said Trusha Goffe, a lawyer at Anderson's firm. "The survivors remained resolute through years of litigation to reach this monumental settlement."

How it got here

The claims go back to a change in state law. In 2019 New York passed the Child Victims Act, which lets survivors of child sexual abuse sue their abusers and the institutions that shielded them until they turn 55. It also opened a window, which closed in August 2021, for older survivors to file claims no matter when the abuse happened, AP reported.

About 1,300 claims against the archdiocese followed. The settlement would end more than seven years of litigation.

In a letter to Catholics in May, Archbishop Hicks said the archdiocese had spent months negotiating with the Plaintiffs' Liaison Committee, which represents most of the survivors, with Judge Daniel J. Buckley acting as a neutral mediator. The aim was a "global settlement" that would pay survivors faster than the courts could, without a long legal fight or a bankruptcy filing by the archdiocese.

The catch was that everyone had to sign on. "We cannot begin to compensate victims until full participation is achieved," Hicks wrote then. According to Anderson, that's now happened.

The cost to the archdiocese

The church has already paid a heavy price. In the same May letter, Hicks said the archdiocese "has sold off the majority of its real estate holdings" and made significant reductions to staff and other operating expenses to raise money for survivors. He called those steps painful but necessary.

NPR reported that when the archdiocese agreed to mediation in December 2025, it said it had laid off staff and planned to sell some of its Manhattan properties to raise $300 million for survivors.

Hicks also pointed to the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program, set up by Cardinal Dolan in 2016, which he said had already paid millions to survivors.

The Archdiocese of New York covers Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island, plus seven counties north of the city. It has about 300 churches, more than 150 parish schools and 2.5 million Catholics, according to AP.

How it compares

According to AP, only one Catholic abuse settlement in the US has been larger. In 2024 the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $880 million to about 1,000 victims, on top of $740 million in claims it had paid before.

Other dioceses have reached big deals too. In June the Archdiocese of San Francisco agreed to a $395 million settlement covering about 500 lawsuits, and in December 2025 a federal judge approved a settlement in which the Archdiocese of New Orleans agreed to pay at least $230 million.

A new archbishop's first big test

Hicks is still new in the job, having succeeded Cardinal Dolan. In his May letter he wrote that "though I am new to the Archdiocese of New York," he recognised the effort the archdiocese had already put into supporting survivors.

That letter framed the issue in spiritual terms. Citing Pope Leo XIV, Hicks wrote that "we cannot close our eyes or our hearts to the victim-survivors," and asked Catholics to pray for the intercession of Mary and St Joseph "to heal the wounds of all those who have been hurt by abuse whenever and wherever it occurred."

In his email to priests on Saturday, he asked them to tell parishioners who raise the settlement that "much progress has been made."

What happens next

The signing is set for the week of 6 November. Until then, the deal isn't final. The archdiocese and the survivors' lawyers haven't said how the money will be shared among claimants or how quickly it'll be paid.

For more on how the Church in the US is caring for people who are hurting, read our report on US Catholic bishops opening nine days of prayer for mental health, and on the Pope's recent call to build strong families.

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