The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to 1,353 people who were sexually abused as children by clergy dating back decades. This is the largest settlement involving a U.S. diocese and came after California enacted a law allowing new lawsuits based on past instances of sexual abuse of minors. Many Catholic organizations across the U.S. have sought bankruptcy protection to resolve similar abuse claims due to similar legislation in other states.
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez expressed sorrow for the abuse and hopes the settlement will provide healing for the victims. The Archdiocese reached the settlement without filing for bankruptcy and will pay victims from cash reserves, investments, loans, and contributions from other religious organizations named in lawsuits. The payments will not impact the Archdiocese’s mission of serving the poor and vulnerable.
Attorneys for the Archdiocese and the Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel thanked survivors for coming forward with their stories and emphasized the importance of ensuring similar abuse does not occur in the future. While no amount of money can replace what was taken from the survivors, there is justice in accountability for the abuse they endured in silence for decades.
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