The agreement was finalized in the days after both the archdiocese and plaintiffs agreed to a framework for the deal.
In a letter to the archdiocese — which includes Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island and a handful of Hudson Valley communities — that was shared with The New York Times, Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks said that “it has always been our desire to bring a fair and just resolution for victim-survivors, and to promote healing and reconciliation among those who have been hurt.”
“We believe that this global settlement achieves that goal,” he continued.
Under the terms of the settlement, the 1,300 people who said they were abused would have the option of receiving a quick lump-sum payment of at least $250,000.
Plaintiffs could also receive a larger payout after an examination of the extent of their claims of abuse.
The settlement ends several years of litigation after the New York Child Victims Act opened the window for claims. It includes a period where the archdiocese had threatened to file for bankruptcy, as many other Roman Catholic archdioceses have done when facing sexual abuse allegations.
Intense negotiations to settle the lawsuits had been ongoing for a year. The terms of the agreement called for all 1,300 plaintiffs to accept the settlement. There were holdouts, and lawyers for the plaintiffs worked to get their clients to accept the deal.
Failure to reach a settlement would have resulted in the archdiocese filing for bankruptcy, the lawyers said, which would draw out the process further and most likely result in smaller payments.
The settlement is one of the largest in church history.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles settled similar sexual abuse claims for $880 million in 2024.
The Archdiocese of San Francisco agreed to pay $395 million to settle sexual abuse claims from around 530 people in June.
In order to fund the settlement, the Archdiocese of New York cut its operating budget by 10 percent and sold valuable Manhattan real estate, such as the land it owns beneath the Palace Hotel on Manhattan’s East Side and its First Avenue headquarters. The archdiocese also solicited money from its parishes to support the settlement, leaving some church goers to worry about the future.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs celebrated the finalization of the agreement.
“This is a real reckoning and an acknowledgment for the first time from the archdiocese that they allowed so many offenders to create so much suffering for survivors for years,” said Jeff Anderson, whose firm, Jeff Anderson & Associates, represents nearly 300 plaintiffs.
Jeff Herman, whose law firm represents 260 plaintiffs, called the agreement part of a “momentous day” that “has been far too long in coming” for the 1,300 plaintiffs.
“It is a powerful moment of validation and vindication,” Mr. Herman said, “a long-overdue acknowledgment of their suffering, their courage, and their unwavering determination to be heard.”
In his message on Thursday, Archbishop Hicks thanked the parishes for what he called “voluntary contributions” and sought to reassure them.
“You may be wondering what impact this settlement will have on your parish,” Archbishop Hicks wrote, acknowledging the parishes that sold property or dipped into their reserves to contribute to the fund.
“Beyond that, however, life in your parish should continue uninterrupted, celebrating Mass and the sacraments, providing outreach to the poor and disadvantaged, consoling the bereaved, welcoming catechumens into the faith, and all the other activities that make up the life of a vibrant community of faith,” the archbishop continued.
The settlement does not just include monetary payouts. Under the terms, the archdiocese will be required to publish the names of the clergy members and lay leaders who were credibly accused of sexual abuse on its website and to update the list with future substantiated claims of abuse.
Iona University, a private Catholic university in New York, will also keep a public archive of instances of abuse that will be accessible to the public.
That aspect of the settlement was critical to the plaintiffs who are hoping to prevent what the sexual abuse they say happened to them from happening to others, their lawyers said.
“Each survivor can now know that they stood up, gave voice, withstood scrutiny and have done something powerful to not only help themselves, but to protect others in the future,” Mr. Anderson said.