The settlement, negotiated by the official committee representing survivors, establishes a protocol to ensure equitable distribution among claimants. Beyond the financial payout, the agreement mandates sweeping, court-enforceable child protection reforms. Unlike previous internal policies, these new measures grant the Bankruptcy Court oversight authority, allowing any party to seek legal enforcement if the Archdiocese fails to meet its obligations.
San Francisco Archdiocese Reaches Record $395 Million Abuse Settlement
A $395 million trust will compensate roughly 530 survivors of clergy sexual abuse, marking the largest bankruptcy settlement of its kind in U.S. history. The agreement, finalized in the Northern District of California, resolves years of litigation against the Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco without relying on insurance proceeds.
Steve Moreno, co-chair of the survivors' committee, noted that the resolution provides a path forward after decades of silence. Counsel for the committee, Brittany Michael, emphasized that the provisions were the result of prolonged, adversarial negotiations rather than voluntary concessions. The deal also preserves the rights of survivors to pursue further litigation against insurers, ensuring that the Archdiocese remains accountable for the full scope of the institutional failures that led to the bankruptcy filing.
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