Archdiocese of L.A. reaches $880M child sex abuse settlement with 1,353 people

Oct. 17 (UPI) -- The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to 1,353 people who say they were sexually abused as children by members of the church.

The agreement in principle was announced Wednesday by both the archdiocese and the Plaintiff's Liaison Committee. It is believed to be the largest single child abuse settlement by a Catholic archdiocese.

"While there is no amount of money that can replace what was taken from these 1,353 brave individuals who have suffered in silence for decades, there is justice in accountability," counsel for the Plaintiff's Liaison Committee said in a statement.

"We are grateful to the brave survivors who came forward to hold those responsible accountable and to protect the children of the future."

The claims of sexual abuse covered by the agreement occurred decades ago, some as far back as the 1940s. Though they fall outside the state's statute of limitations, they were filed under Assembly Bill 218, which provided a three-year window from 2020 to 2022 allowing victims to seek financial compensation for damages caused by sexual abuse.

The archbishop said it was named in some 1,900 claims alleging sexual misconduct by clergy, religious members and lay persons of the church.

The agreement, the archbishop stated, is for remaining claims filed against it under the 2019 law.

Mediation on the settlement began in the Fall of 2023.

Archbishop José H. Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles apologized in a statement "for every one of these incidents" and expressed hope that the settlement "will provide some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered."

In a letter to members of his church, Gomez said funds for the settlement will come from reserves, investment and loans, in addition to church assets and payments from religious orders and those named in the litigation.

None of the funds for the settlement will come from donations to parishes or schools or church collections and campaigns, he said.

Under the agreement, plaintiffs will engaging in a process absent the archdiocese to allocate the settlement funds.

"We appreciate the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for acknowledging its failures that enabled and perpetuated the harm that came to these children and remain hopeful that the Archdiocese will be vigilant in its efforts to prevent future abuses from occurring," counsel for the Plaintiff's Liaison Committee said.

In 2007, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $660 million to settle claims of childhood sexual abuse with 508 people, which at the time was the largest payout by the Roman Catholic Church.