The Los Angeles Catholic Church has reached a historic $880 million settlement with hundreds of victims of clergy sexual abuse, spanning back over decades. This settlement marks the largest single child sex abuse settlement with a Catholic archdiocese to date. The agreement involves 1,353 individuals who allege abuse by local Catholic priests, with the total payout exceeding $1.5 billion when combined with a previous payment of $740 million made by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
The settlement comes after California passed a law in 2020 that allowed a three-year window for cases that exceeded the statute of limitations, enabling the accusers to seek legal recourse. The Plaintiffs’ Liaison Committee has stated that approval from all plaintiffs is still needed to finalise the settlement. While this agreement concludes 25 years of litigation against the largest archdiocese in the United States, a few lawsuits against the church are still pending.
Negotiations for the settlement began in 2022 and took a year and a half to reach an agreement. Lead plaintiff attorney Morgan Stewart expressed that the goal was to secure the highest possible settlement for their clients while ensuring the financial survival of the archdiocese. California is among 15 states extending the window for suing institutions over past abuse, leading to numerous new cases and bankruptcies in various archdioceses.
Archbishop José H. Gomez issued an apology and expressed hope that the settlement would bring some healing to the survivors of abuse. The archdiocese plans to finance the settlement through reserves, investments, loans, and other assets. More than 300 priests in Los Angeles have been accused of sexually abusing minors over the years, with cases like that of Michael Baker, who confessed to molesting children but remained in ministry until 2000.
The church has implemented stricter background checks and training programs to protect young people, aiming to prevent future cases of abuse. Gomez highlighted that no individuals found to have harmed minors are currently serving in ministry and pledged to maintain vigilance. As part of the settlement, the archdiocese will disclose additional files documenting abuse by priests, demonstrating a commitment to transparency and accountability.