Lawyers for the Archdiocese of New York and about 1,300 parishioners who say they were sexually abused by clergy have agreed to an $800 million settlement to resolve their legal claims, the second-largest claim involving a U.S. Catholic archdiocese
Archbishop Ronald Hicks sent an email to clergy on Saturday confirming the settlement, after attorneys for alleged abuse survivors made the announcement. Hicks said the agreement will not become final until both parties sign it, which is scheduled for the week of Nov. 6.
The only larger settlement for sexual abuse claims in the United States is with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which agreed to pay $880 million to 1,000 sexual abuse victims in 2024, in addition to $740 million in previously paid claims. In June, the Archdiocese of San Francisco agreed to a $395 million settlement in about 500 clergy abuse 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 to abuse victims.
The agreement with the Archdiocese of New York will end more than seven years of litigation. The two sides reached a framework agreement in May that requires everyone with a claim to sign.
“The unanimous consent of survivors who filed claims against the Archdiocese of New York marks a powerful moment in the pursuit of justice,” Jeff Anderson, an attorney who has filed more than 1,000 claims on behalf of the Catholic Church in New York state, said in a statement. “Through their courage, sacrifice and determination, survivors have helped bring about reckoning and meaningful steps toward accountability.”
The New York Region covers the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island as well as seven counties north of New York City. It has about 300 churches, more than 150 parochial schools and 2.5 million Catholics.
Hicks said in an email to clergy that if church members inquire about the settlement, “please let them know that great progress has been made.”
“We are on the verge of being able to please God and bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors,” he wrote. “This agreement will also allow the Archdiocese to once again turn its full attention to its mission of evangelizing, healing the sick, caring for the poor and needy, welcoming the stranger, and educating our children.”
A 2019 New York state law allows survivors of child sexual abuse to file lawsuits against their abusers and the institutions that protected them until age 55. People who were 55 or older when the law was enacted also have until August 2021 to file a lawsuit, regardless of when the alleged abuse occurred.
“This is a remarkable achievement for the survivors,” said attorney Trusha Goff of Anderson LLP. “Survivors stood firm through years of litigation to reach this landmark settlement.”