The nation’s largest archdiocese agreed to the payment to settle claims by 1,353 people who alleged they were sexually abused as children
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to 1,353 people who alleged they were sexually abused as children by priests and other clergy. The settlement brings the total payout by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to settle sex abuse lawsuits to more than $1.5 billion. In 2007, a $600 million settlement was made to about 500 alleged victims.
“I am sorry for every one of these incidents, from the bottom of my heart,” Archbishop Jose H. Gomez said in a statement Wednesday. “My hope is that this settlement will provide some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered.”
Following the enactments of California Assembly Bill 218, which provided a three-year window for claims of past sexual abuse involving minors to be revived, the Archdiocese began mediating the abuse claims.
Gomez said that the settlement will be paid for through “reserves, investments, and loans, along with other Archdiocesan assets and payments that will be made by religious orders and others named in the litigation.”
Attorneys in the Plaintiffs’ Liaison Committee said in a joint statement, “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.”
In his statement, Gomez acknowledged that “for many years now the Archdiocese has been confronting the consequences of past abuse by priests, clergy, and others working in the Church.” The archbishop stated that the archdiocese has “established extensive training programs to protect young people and to ensure safe environments in our parishes, schools, and other ministries.”