ANNOUNCEMENT OF SETTLEMENT OF ARCHDIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE CLAIMS

LOS ANGELES, CA – Attorneys representing the Plaintiff’s Liaison Committee and Kirk Dillman, Counsel for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced today that a settlement agreement in principle has been reached for the payment of $880 million to settle 1353 childhood sexual abuse claims filed against the Archdiocese after the enactment of California Assembly Bill 218 (AB 218) that provided a three-year window for the revival of civil claims of past sexual abuse involving minors.

“While there is no amount of money that can replace what was taken from these 1353 brave individuals who have suffered in silence for decades, there is justice in accountability,” said Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel in a joint statement. “We are grateful to the brave survivors who came forward to hold those responsible accountable and to protect the children of the future. We appreciate the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for acknowledging its failures that enabled and perpetuated the harm that came to these children and remain hopeful that the Archdiocese will be vigilant in its efforts to prevent future abuses from occurring.”

The Archdiocese and the attorneys in the Plaintiffs’ Liaison Committee commenced mediation before the Hon. Daniel J. Buckley (Ret) in the Fall of 2023 after the close of the revival window to seek a resolution that would allow the Archdiocese and the other participating religious orders and defendants to provide compensation for survivor-victims, while allowing the Archdiocese to continue its essential ministries serving the faithful and those in need.

“The Archdiocese is grateful for the efforts of Judge Buckley (Ret), the Plaintiffs’ Liaison Committee, and the many individual law firms representing plaintiffs and defendants, for their commitment and efforts to achieving a fair and just resolution,” said Dillman. “The Archdiocese apologizes for the harm that was caused by individuals in the Church that contributed to the pain that survivor-victims have endured.”

The Plaintiffs’ Liaison Committee will be coordinating with counsel for all remaining plaintiffs to approve the proposed settlement. The final implementation of the agreement is dependent on the achievement of certain approval levels.

Under the settlement, plaintiffs will engage in a process, that will not involve the Archdiocese, to allocate the settlement amount among participating plaintiffs. The Archdiocese will also supplement the list of released clergy files with information from the AB 218 claims that may not have been previously included in the 2013 release.

As with the previous global settlement in 2007, the Archdiocese’s administrative office will fund the settlement using accumulated reserves and investment holdings, bank financing and other Archdiocesan assets, in addition to payments by certain religious orders and others named in the litigation.