New York Archdiocese Agrees to Proposed $800 Million Settlement

The Archdiocese of New York and attorneys for about 1,300 people who allege sexual abuse by church personnel have agreed to an $800 million settlement, Archbishop Ronald Hicks said. The agreement is not final and still requires signatures, according to Hicks’s email to clergy. Hicks said the parties were scheduled to sign the agreement during the week of November 6. The reports do not establish that the signing has occurred. An archdiocese spokesman also said the parties were still working out details, while lawyers for claimants said their clients had unanimously accepted the settlement. The status of all required approvals therefore remains unsettled. Under terms described by claimant attorney Jeff Herman, each claimant could choose an immediate $250,000 payment or have a judge review the case for a potentially larger amount. The arrangement is intended to resolve claims brought by people who say they were sexually abused by clergy and other church personnel. The allegations have not been adjudicated through the proposed settlement. Herman said the agreement would also require the archdiocese to maintain a list of priests accused of sexual abuse and eventually release...