Archdiocese of Los Angeles Jose H. Gomez agrees to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to victims of decades of clergy sexual abuse. It was the largest single child sexual abuse settlement with a Catholic archdiocese, announced Wednesday, according to a lawyer.

After the announcement of the agreement in principle, Archbishop José H. Gomez said in a statement: “I am deeply sorry for each of these incidents.”

“I hope that this settlement provides some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered,” the archbishop added.

“I believe we have reached a resolution to these claims that provides fair compensation to the survivors and victims of these past abuses.”

The Los Angeles Times reported that lawyers for 1,353 people who claim they suffered horrific abuse at the hands of local Catholic priests reached a settlement with the archdiocese after months of negotiations.

The agreement ends a quarter-century of litigation against the most populous archdiocese in the United States.

Lawyers on the plaintiffs’ liaison committee said in a joint statement: “While there is no amount of money that can replace what was taken from these 1,353 brave people who suffered in silence for decades, there is justice in accountability.”

As part of the settlement, the plaintiffs will engage in a process not involving the archdiocese to divide the settlement amount among the parties involved.

The archdiocese had previously paid $740 million to victims in various settlements and pledged to better protect its church members, so this settlement would bring the total payout to more than $1.5 billion, the Times said.

Attorney Morgan Stewart, who led the negotiations, said in a statement that the settlement was the largest child sexual abuse settlement with a Catholic archdiocese.

“These survivors have suffered the consequences of abuse for decades. Dozens of survivors have died. They are aging, and many of those who know about the abuse within the church are aging too. It was time to fix the problem,” Stewart told the Times.

The settlement will be funded through archdiocesan investments, accumulated reserves, bank financing and other assets.

According to the archdiocese, certain religious orders and other orders named in the litigation will also cover some of the costs of the settlement, the Times said.