Archdiocese of New York reaches $800 million deal with about 1,300 abuse claimants; signing expected in early November

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York has agreed to pay at least $800 million to settle claims by about 1,300 people who say clergy members and lay leaders sexually abused them, the archdiocese and attorneys for the plaintiffs said on Saturday, Oct. 24. The agreement has not been signed yet. In an email to priests on Saturday, Archbishop Ronald Hicks said a deal had been reached with the plaintiffs and their attorneys, NPR reported, and that it is expected to be signed the first week of November, according to Gothamist.

"We are on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors," Hicks wrote. Jeff Anderson, whose firm represents more than 250 of the plaintiffs, told NPR that all plaintiffs had agreed and that only the paperwork remained. Paul Mones, another plaintiffs' attorney, told The Guardian that "just a few details remain."

Under the terms described by plaintiffs' attorneys, each claimant can take a quick payment of $250,000 or have an individual review of their claim, which could lead to a larger award. Jeff Herman, whose firm represents about 260 claimants, said the archdiocese must publish and keep updated a public list of clergy members and lay leaders credibly accused of sexual abuse. Herman told Gothamist that the archdiocese will also eventually have to release internal files on accused priests, but he did not give details.

Most of the lawsuits were filed under New York's 2019 Child Victims Act, which temporarily allowed survivors to bring old claims, The Guardian reported. In December 2025 the archdiocese agreed to mediation and said it had laid off staff and planned to sell some Manhattan properties to raise $300 million for survivors, according to NPR. The Guardian reported that the settlement is expected to lower the archdiocese's risk of bankruptcy. For comparison, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to an $880 million settlement in 2024, NPR reported.