by Tablet Staff
In an update on the Archdiocese of New York’s clergy sex abuse settlement negotiations, Archbishop Ronald Hicks said he is “cautiously optimistic” that talks with attorneys representing victim-survivors are moving in the right direction, “although much work remains to be done before a settlement can be finalized and consummated.”
At the same time, attorneys representing survivors announced on May 1 that the archdiocese has agreed to pay $800 million into a trust for approximately 1,300 survivors of clergy sex abuse. Although they acknowledged that the proposed settlement remains subject to final documentation and a full victim-survivor agreement.
Archbishop Hicks hasn’t confirmed those figures, and the Archdiocese of New York did not immediately respond to The Tablet’s request for comment.
“Members of the [Plaintiff Liaison Committee], attorneys who have long advocated for victim-survivors, have begun reaching out to counsel for all impacted individuals, and it is our sincere hope to achieve full participation; we cannot begin to compensate victims until full participation is achieved,” Archbishop Hicks said in a statement.
“If a truly global settlement can be achieved, compensation will become available to victim-survivors in the fastest, most comprehensive manner possible,” Archbishop Hicks added, “without the need for lengthy, painful litigation for victim-survivors or bankruptcy proceedings for the archdiocese.”
The Plaintiff Liaison Committee is a group of eight law firms that collectively represent about 70% of survivors who brought sexual abuse claims against the archdiocese.
Under the agreement, according to Jeff Anderson and Associates, a law firm representing some victim-survivors, the archdiocese would pay $615 million in a first installment, with the remaining $185 million to be distributed over the next 15 months. It would also give survivors the opportunity to pursue recoveries from the archdiocese’s insurance companies, which, if recovered, those funds would also go into a trust for survivors, attorneys said.
Further, per the announced agreement, the proposed settlement requires the archdiocese to maintain and update the list of credibly accused clergy on its website.
Finally, according to attorneys, the proposed settlement stops litigation against the archdiocese while survivors and their counsel further consider the terms.
The claims against the archdiocese were filed under the New York Child Victims Act, a 2019 state law that extended the statute of limitations for a survivor of child sex abuse in criminal and civil cases.
Attorney Jeff Anderson said the proposed settlement comes after 4-5 months of intense negotiations and is a “monumental step in the right direction.”
“The proposed settlement framework represents the first, major acknowledgement of legal responsibility by the Archdiocese of New York and its top officials,” Anderson said. “To the survivors, the credit is due — for having spoken their voice, having stood up, revealed the truth, and exposed the offenders and top officials of the archdiocese who’ve allowed these heinous crimes to have occurred — past and present.”
Archbishop Hicks also acknowledged the hardships created by the process.
“It cannot be denied that this has been a painful process — most significantly so for the victim-survivors and their families and loved ones who have suffered, in most cases, for decades,” Archbishop Hicks said. “I pray that all of us, as the family of God, will come together to support and affirm these individuals and take these next steps to bring about some healing and peace.”