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Archdiocese of LA will pay $880 million settlement to abuse survivors
The entrance to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, the headquarters for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)
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Topline:
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles will pay $880 million to settle more than 1,300 claims of childhood sexual abuse dating back decades, according to an announcement Wednesday.
The context: The action brings the total amount paid out by the Archdiocese of L.A. to more than $1.5 billion, including a 2007 settlement.
Why now: A joint statement by lawyers representing the plaintiffs and the Archdiocese of L.A. said the settlement resolves claims made against the church after a California law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019 lifted the statute of limitations to allow survivors of childhood sexual abuse a window of time to file civil cases.
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What the church says: “I am sorry for every one of these incidents, from the bottom of my heart,” Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez wrote in a letter published today on the L.A. Catholics website. “No one who has been found to have harmed a minor is serving in ministry at this time.”
What the plaintiff attorneys say: “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,” lawyers for the people who will receive the settlement said in a statement.
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