San Francisco Archdiocese agrees to $395 million settlement with clergy sex abuse survivors
The Archdiocese of San Francisco has agreed to pay nearly $400 million in a settlement with survivors of clergy sexual abuse, lawyers for the survivors announced on Monday.
The settlement establishes a trust to compensate over 500 survivors with childhood sexual abuse claims against the Roman Catholic archdiocese, as well as the establishment of child protection reforms to protect children from abuse, according to the attorney group Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC.
In 2023, the San Francisco Archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy following a flood of child sexual abuse claims against priests. The civils lawsuits were enabled by California law AB 218 which went into effect in 2020, which expanded the statute of limitations and allowed for triple damages against institutions that covered up the abuse.
"This settlement represents an important step toward accountability, but it should not be mistaken for a measure of the harm these survivors endured," said PCVA attorney Neda Lotfi in a prepared statement. "No settlement can undo the profound trauma these survivors have carried for decades, and no amount of compensation can fully account for the damage that was done."
As part of the settlement, the Archdiocese is required to maintain a public list of all accused clergy, the allegations and investigation outcomes, according to the survivors' attorneys. The Archdiocese will also provide a publicly available record documenting the Church's knowledge of abuse allegations and actions taken that will be independently managed.
""While the vast majority of sexual abuse allegations associated with this bankruptcy were from many decades ago, we accept full responsibility for what happened, and I sincerely apologize to all those who have been harmed," said San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone in a prepared statement. "We remain committed to the healing and care of survivors who have suffered because of past sins of Church ministers. We pray for all survivors of sexual abuse, for our Archdiocese, parish communities and schools, and for the eradication of this shameful crime from our midst and from society as a whole."
Several dozen dioceses and archdioceses nationwide have used Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a direct result of child sexual abuse, including the dioceses of Oakland, Sacramento and Santa Rosa in the Northern California.
This is a breaking news update. More information to be added as available.
