The resulting 1,353 claims contributed to the current settlement, which seeks to provide monetary relief for the victims, who as described in a joint statement made by the attorneys in the Plaintiffs’ Liaison Committee “have suffered in silence for decades.” 

In a resolution that ends an almost 25-year-long litigation battle, the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $880 million to resolve claims of clergy sexual abuse. This landmark settlement marks the highest single payout by a diocese. 

Claims made against the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, nonetheless, date back to 2007 when over 500 sexual abuse victims sought reparations. The resulting settlement amounted to a total of $660 million, which at that time was the largest settlement by a diocese. Twelve years later, in 2019, the archdiocese faced further allegations and reached an $8 million settlement with an 18-year-old former Catholic school student who alleged she was molested and later kidnapped by a former coach. This, however, was not the last of their legal troubles. 

Following the signing and implementation of Assembly Bill 218  in 2019 by California Governor Gavin Newsom, sexual abuse claims surged. Specifically, as this new bill lifted the statute of limitations and provided a three-year window to revive civil claims of past sexual abuse involving minors, individuals over 40 years of age were able to seek justice for incidents that had previously been barred by time. The resulting 1,353 claims contributed to the current settlement, which seeks to provide monetary relief for the victims, who as described in a joint statement made by the attorneys in the Plaintiffs’ Liaison Committee “have suffered in silence for decades.” 

Funded by the Archdiocese‘s investments and reserves alongside bank loans, the approver of the settlement, Archbishop José H. Gomez in a statement expressed “my hope is that this settlement will provide some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered.” Gomez concluded by stating the payment provides “just compensation to the survivor-victims of these past abuses while also allowing the Archdiocese to continue to carry out our ministries.”

While this relief is a step in the right direction, victims continue to come forward, highlighting the urgent need for accountability and reform within the system.