The Catholic archdiocese of New York is putting the finishing touches on a settlement of at least $800m with more than 1,300 people who say they were sexually abused by clergy members and lay leaders, according to one of the plaintiffs' attorneys. The agreement would resolve a long legal fight and, per reports, reduce the risk of the diocese going bankrupt - because nothing says "moral authority" like a balance sheet.

While the parties haven't reached a final deal, just a few details remain, according to attorney Paul Mones, who represents some of the plaintiffs. "It gives closure to people, many of whom are in their 60s, 70s and even into their 80s," Mones said in a phone interview on Saturday. "That is a significant matter in terms of closing the emotional door - or trying to - because it's never going to be closed, but [it] at least gives some measure of justice to people who were terribly wronged." Justice, it turns out, is not only blind but also something of a slow walker.

The road to this point was paved with bureaucratic reluctance. In 2006, the New York state court of appeals refused to waive a statute of limitations concerning allegations that Catholic priests committed sexual abuse in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the New York Times reported. Then, in 2019, the state passed the Child Victims Act, which allowed sexual abuse survivors to bring civil lawsuits against abusers until the plaintiff turned 55. After that, thousands of people filed lawsuits against the archdiocese, the Boy Scouts and Jeffrey Epstein, among others. It's a grim roster that reads like a who's who of institutions that should have known better.

In 2025, the archdiocese of New York started trying to raise $300m to pay 1,300 survivors of clergy abuse. The New York Roman Catholic district sold off assets and cut costs to settle the claims; in New Orleans, the archdiocese declared bankruptcy amid similar scandals. Because when in doubt, there's always real estate.

The New York survivors can now either enter into an agreement with the archdiocese in which each receives $250,000, or fill out a form detailing what happened and participate in an allocation procedure that will determine how much money they receive, Mones explained. A choice between a flat fee and reliving trauma on paper - the kind of options that really make you feel valued.

In an email to priests, which was shared with the New York Times, the New York archbishop, Ronald A Hicks, said: "We are on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors." The Almighty, apparently, works in mysterious, litigation-adjacent ways.

While the settlement would resolve the claims in New York, the Catholic church faces lawsuits concerning alleged sexual abuse in other states. Chicago attorneys filed a half dozen lawsuits this month against the city's archdiocese alleging that the institution knew its priests were running a sex ring at a parish and did not stop it, according to WTTW News. In Baltimore, the archdiocese is in mediation with sexual abuse survivors, WBAL reported. Mones said that he is representing alleged survivors of sexual abuse in lawsuits against archdioceses across the country, including Buffalo, San Diego and San Francisco. So while New York may be closing a chapter, the book is far from finished - and the sequel promises to be just as painful, if slightly more geographically diverse.