The Archdiocese of New Orleans will pay at least $230 million to hundreds of clergy sexual abuse survivors under a settlement approved by a federal judge on Monday.
The settlement follows years of negotiations and includes policies designed to prevent future abuse. The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2020 to avoid dealing with each of the more than 500 abuse claims separately.
Here is a list of some of the other major clergy abuse settlements reached by the Catholic Church in the United States
Los Angeles:
In 2024, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $880 million to more than 1,000 victims of clergy sex abuse dating back decades.
The archdiocese, which covers Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, had previously paid more than $740 million to victims, bringing the total payout to more than $1.5 billion.
San Diego, California:
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego agreed in 2007 to pay $198 million to settle more than 140 clergy sexual abuse claims.
The diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2024 in response to about 400 additional lawsuits alleging priests and others sexually abused children decades earlier. The lawsuits were filed after California lifted the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse claims in 2019.
Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus:
The Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus, a Jesuit order, agreed in 2011 to pay $166 million to more than 450 Native Americans and Alaska Natives who were abused in the order’s schools across the northwestern United States.
Orange, California:
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange reached a $100 million settlement with approximately 90 sex abuse victims in 2004. Three years later, the diocese agreed to pay another $7 million to settle four additional sex abuse lawsuits.
Boston:
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston agreed to pay $85 million to settle more than 500 clergy sexual abuse lawsuits in 2003. The scope of the sexual abuse crisis in Boston matched reports across the United States and the world of widespread abuse by priests, and efforts by the church to cover it up.
Covington, Kentucky:
In 2006, the Diocese of Covington paid more than $81 million to more than 200 victims of sexual abuse in court settlements. A report from the diocese released in 2020 found that 59 Catholic priests and 31 others associated with the church had sexually abused children since the 1950s.
Philadelphia:
As of 2022, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has paid more than $78 million to settle 438 clergy sexual abuse claims, according to a report. In 2023, the archdiocese agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle an additional sexual abuse case.
Wilmington, Delaware:
The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, which serves Catholics in Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore, agreed in 2011 to pay $77 for roughly 150 clergy victims of sexual abuse.
Portland, Oregon:
The archdiocese in Portland was the first Catholic diocese to file for bankruptcy in 2004 over sexual abuse allegations after settling more than 100 cases. By the time the bankruptcy was filed three years later, the archdiocese had settled more than 300 claims and paid nearly $90 million in claims and attorney’s fees. In 2019, the archdiocese agreed to pay nearly $4 million to settle eight additional clergy sexual abuse claims.
Oakland, California:
The Diocese of Oakland reached a $56 million settlement with 56 sexual abuse survivors in 2005. The diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2023 after more than 300 child sex abuse lawsuits were filed after a new state law temporarily extended the statute of limitations for child sex abuse litigation.