LOS ANGELES ARCHDIOCESE REACHES RECORD $880 MILLION SETTLEMENT WITH ABUSE SURVIVORS

Thu 17 October 2024:

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to an $880 million settlement with more than 1,300 survivors of childhood sexual abuse, making it the largest settlement reached with a Catholic archdiocese in US history.

The agreement addresses allegations that clergy and other church personnel engaged in sexual misconduct with minors, a crisis that has haunted the church for decades.

The development follows the passage of California’s Assembly Bill 218, which temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for historical abuse claims, allowing survivors to file cases that might otherwise have been dismissed due to timing.

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez expressed deep remorse in a written statement, saying, “I am truly sorry for each of these incidents, from the depths of my heart.”

“I am truly sorry for each of these incidents, from the depths of my heart,” said archbishop Jose H. Gomez in a written note, expressing deep remorse.

This latest settlement, combined with a previous $660 million payout in 2007, brings the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’s total compensation for sexual abuse claims to approximately $1.5 billion over the past 20 years. The monumental payouts underscore the scale of the abuse crisis in one of the nation’s largest Catholic communities.

In recent decades, major Christian institutions have faced large-scale legal settlements for sexual abuse cases involving clergy. These settlements mark significant moments in the fight for justice for survivors.

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Catholic Church Settlements: The Catholic Church has seen some of the largest settlements. In 2007, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles reached a record $660 million settlement with over 500 abuse survivors. Similarly, the Archdiocese of Boston paid $85 million to settle hundreds of cases in 2003, sparking broader investigations into clergy abuse worldwide.

Other Major Settlements: In 2018, the Diocese of Pennsylvania settled for $84 million with hundreds of victims after a grand jury revealed decades of abuse and cover-ups. Other dioceses across the U.S., Ireland, and Australia have also made multi-million-dollar payouts.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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