The Archdiocese of San Francisco has agreed to a $395 million settlement with survivors of clergy sexual abuse, the archdiocese and lawyers for the victims said on Monday.
The settlement addresses about 530 claims brought by survivors who were abused as children, according to Jeff Anderson, a lawyer for the claimants. The settlement, which also includes several provisions to prevent further abuse in the church, was negotiated as part of the archdiocese’s bankruptcy proceedings.
“This is a true reckoning,” Mr. Anderson said at a news conference on Monday afternoon.
The Archdiocese of San Francisco filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in 2023 after hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits were filed against it. The settlement must be formally approved by the claimants as well as the bankruptcy judge overseeing the case for it to become legally binding.
Margie O’Driscoll, one of the survivors, spoke at the news conference about the abuse she faced from a priest at Marin Catholic High School nearly 50 years ago. She was a teenager when her teacher assaulted her, she said.
Ms. O’Driscoll said the most lasting effect of the proposed settlement would be the non-monetary provisions, particularly one that would require the San Francisco archbishop, Salvatore Cordileone, to write individual letters of apology to each of the survivors. She said that the families of many victims did not believe their loved ones’ accounts because of their dedication to the church, and the letters would be a powerful institutional acknowledgment of what happened to them.
“I, like every survivor, have carried this pain and shame along like a ball and chain for a very, very long time,” Ms. O’Driscoll said. “Today, shame is going to change sides.”
Archbishop Cordileone said in a statement that the agreement provides “a path toward fair compensation for survivors who have borne the weight of this abuse for a lifetime.” He said he hoped that it would allow both the victims and the church to move forward.
“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,” he added. “We remain committed to the healing and care of survivors who have suffered because of past sins of church ministers.”
Most documented abuses in Catholic institutional settings took place decades ago, which has made it challenging for victims to seek legal recourse. But some states, including California, have in recent years allowed victims to bring civil claims that would otherwise be prohibited by statutes of limitations.
In 2019, California passed a law that extended the statute of limitation for civil claims in child sexual abuse cases. That brought forward lawsuits against the Catholic church, and prompted several dioceses in the state, including in Oakland and Sacramento, to file for bankruptcy.
The agreement announced on Monday between the victims and the San Francisco archdiocese also includes measures intended to protect children and empower survivors, victims’ lawyers said. Those provisions include enhanced screenings of all archdiocese employees and a ban on one-on-one texting or digital communication between adults and children, Mr. Anderson said.
Brigid Crotty, 57, said the abuse she suffered at the hands of a San Francisco priest has haunted her for more than half a century. She said any kind of settlement or reparations would never be enough to take away that pain.
“But what we are doing here is significant in a tremendous way,” she said.
In 2024, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $880 million to settle claims from 1,353 people who said they were sexually abused by clergy. But claims against several other large California dioceses, including Oakland’s, remain unresolved.
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