New Orleans Catholic Church leaders targeted as clergy sex abuse investigation expands
The raid heralded a new phase of the investigation aimed at determining what church leaders knew about the sexual assault allegations.
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The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, the second largest diocese in the United States, has agreed to a settlement that will pay compensation to more than 1,300 people who say they were sexually abused by priests and lay staff as children.
In a letter released Dec. 8, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said the archdiocese is preparing to raise more than $300 million that will be earmarked for compensation to survivors of sexual abuse. The cardinal said the archdiocese had made “a series of very difficult financial decisions” including layoffs and a 10% reduction in its operating budget to fund global reconciliation.
He added that the archdiocese is also working to finalize the sale of assets, including the former archdiocese headquarters in Manhattan and other real estate.
“As we have repeatedly acknowledged, the sexual abuse of minors in the distant past brought shame to our church,” Dolan wrote in the letter. “Once again, I ask forgiveness for the failures of those who failed to provide the safety of our young people and who betrayed their trust.”
Dolan said archdiocese officials met in November with a special group of lawyers representing hundreds of people who have accused the church of sexual abuse and discussed “a process by which a global solution could be achieved.”
Dolan said at the meeting that the archdiocese and its lawyers agreed to use retired California judge Daniel J. Buckley as a neutral mediator. Mr. Buckley previously helped negotiate similar settlements with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and more than 1,000 people who say they were sexually abused by clergy as children.
“As we undertake this work, we hear from victims and survivors who are willing to discuss resolving the remaining cases through international settlements,” Dolan wrote. “An international settlement is one that is negotiated with the assistance of a third-party mediator who can help resolve the case more quickly, without the financial and emotional stress of lengthy court proceedings.”
Law firm criticizes Archdiocese of New York’s arbitration decision
Lawyers with the PCVA law firm, which represents more than 75 people who have filed abuse allegations against the archdiocese, criticized the archdiocese’s Dec. 8 announcement as a “despicable attempt against survivors.”
“For more than 50 years, the Archdiocese of New York has waged a campaign of intimidation and delay against the more than 1,300 lawsuits it faces as a result of decades of child sexual abuse,” Jason Amara, a partner at PCVA Law, said in a statement.
Amara said the archdiocese’s $300 million funding is less than its settlement with the Diocese of Rockville Center on Long Island, New York. In December 2024, a judge approved a bankruptcy settlement in which the Diocese of Rockville Center will pay $320 million to 600 victims of clergy sexual abuse.
The diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2020 after New York state enacted the Child Victims Act (CVA). The CVA changes the state’s strict statute of limitations for child sex crimes, giving people of any age a one-year window to revive old claims.
“Some have gotten sick, some have died waiting for justice, and now, instead of offering a fair deal, ADNY is offering the survivors half of what the Diocese of Rockville Center agreed to,” Amara said. “It’s insulting and intolerable.”
Hundreds of lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse
The settlement announcement comes after hundreds of lawsuits were filed against the Archdiocese of New York seeking compensation for injury and suffering, said Herman Law, which represents sexual abuse victims.
In 2018, the New York State Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation into child sexual abuse by Catholic priests. And in 2019, the Archdiocese of New York released a list of 120 priests the church had “deemed credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors,” according to the Herman Law.
The Journal News, part of the USA TODAY network, reported in 2019 that the accused priests who were still working for the church were removed from ministry.
Jeff Anderson & Associates, another firm that represents victims of sexual abuse, announced that more than 3,300 child sexual abuse cases involving the Catholic Church were filed in New York state from 2019 to 2021. The lawsuit alleges decades-old abuse by more than 1,700 people, including cardinals, bishops, priests, members of religious orders and lay employees, the company said.
“Although lawsuits have been filed involving many of these alleged perpetrators, the majority of claims against these individuals have either been settled or have not been fully evaluated in civil or criminal court,” the company says on its website. “Accordingly, this allegation should be considered merely an allegation and not as proven or substantiated in court.”
The Archdiocese of New York serves about 2.5 million people in about 300 parishes across three New York City boroughs and seven counties, according to the archdiocese’s website.
Jeff Anderson & Associates and Herman Roe did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on Dec. 8.
Other clergy abuse settlements
For years, churches and dioceses across the country have reached multimillion-dollar settlements in sexual abuse lawsuits. Some companies have declared bankruptcy to manage and resolve these lawsuits.
In 2020, states such as New York enacted laws temporarily allowing victims of child sexual abuse to sue over decades-old crimes. According to Reuters, these laws have forced more than 20 Catholic dioceses to file for bankruptcy protection in recent years.
Dolan previously said that on Dec. 8, parishioners at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Scarsdale, New York, learned that the parish had declared bankruptcy. According to the cardinal, the church is one of the “most frequently named defendants” in Child Injuries Act lawsuits involving abuse allegations by former members of the congregation.
The Archdiocese of New York’s announcement comes after a federal judge on December 8 approved a $230 million settlement between hundreds of victims of clergy sexual abuse and the Archdiocese of New Orleans, NOLA.com reported. The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2020, and the settlement resolves one of the longest-running Catholic bankruptcies in the country.
In October 2024, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $880 million to 1,353 people who say they were sexually abused by clergy as children. This was the largest settlement involving a U.S. diocese.
Contributed by Joseph Spector, USA TODAY Network. Reuters
