The Archdiocese of Los Angeles on Wednesday said it has agreed to pay $880 million to settle claims of clergy sexual abuse dating back several decades, which the victims' attorneys say is the largest such settlement with a Catholic archdiocese.
In a letter, Archbishop José H. Gomez said he hoped the settlement “will provide some measure of ... [+]
The settlement covers 1,353 child sexual abuse claims dating back to the 1940s, which were filed after the enactment of California’s Assembly Bill, which allowed the revival of civil claims of older sexual abuse cases involving minors.
In a letter to the city’s Catholic residents, LA Archbishop José H. Gomez wrote: “I am sorry for every one of these incidents, from the bottom of my heart,” adding that he hoped the settlement “will provide some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered.”
Gomez said the church would fund the settlement by drawing from its “reserves, investments, and loans, along with other Archdiocesan assets and payments.”
According to the church’s official news outlet Angelus, none of the claims “involved allegations against priests currently in ministry.”
The settlement has been agreed to “in principle” and will be implemented after it receives approval from a certain number of claimants involved in the settlement.
Once approved, the settlement payouts are expected to be made in 2025 and 2026.
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"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. We are grateful to the brave survivors who came forward to hold those responsible accountable and to protect the children of the future,” the Plaintiffs' Liaison Counsel said.