Archdiocese of New York Settlement: $800 Million for 1,300 Survivors, and What Still Has to Happen

The Archdiocese of New York settlement would resolve about 1,300 clergy and staff sexual-abuse claims filed under New York's Child Victims Act for roughly $800 million, paid into a survivors' trust in two installments, with every claimant guaranteed at least $250,000. Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks announced the agreement to clergy on October 24, 2026, plaintiffs' counsel confirmed on October 25 that every filing survivor had accepted, and the deal becomes binding only when the parties sign it during the week of November 6.

That makes it the second-largest clergy-abuse resolution by a US Catholic archdiocese, behind the $880 million the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay in October 2024, and the largest ever reached in New York. It also closes, on paper, the biggest single block of litigation left over from the Child Victims Act revival window, and it does so without a Chapter 11 filing. The open questions are now mechanical: how the money is divided, when it moves, and what survivors can still extract from Chubb, the insurer that has spent three years arguing it owes nothing.

What the Archdiocese of New York settlement does

The agreement is a private, out-of-court Global Settlement of essentially every pending abuse lawsuit against the archdiocese. Reporting from OSV News, CNN and Bloomberg Law, and the statement of lead plaintiffs' firm Jeff Anderson & Associates, describe six core terms:

• Amount. About $800 million, funded by the archdiocese into a trust for survivors.
• Scope. Roughly 1,300 claims alleging abuse by clergy and lay staff, almost all brought under the Child Victims Act's revival provision, CPLR 214-g.
• Payment options. Each claimant may take a flat "quick-pay" award of at least $250,000, or have a neutral allocator value the claim individually, weighing the nature of the abuse and the harm caused.
• Schedule. Roughly $615 million is due first, with the remaining $185 million or so due within about 15 months of the agreement taking effect.
• Insurance rights. Survivors may pursue the archdiocese's insurers, Chubb chief among them, with any recovery added to the trust.
• Transparency. The archdiocese must keep a public, continuously updated list of credibly accused clergy on its website and provide copies of abuse-related documents to Iona University, a Catholic school in New Rochelle and Bronxville, for preservation and public access.

The mediator was retired judge Daniel J. Buckley of Signature Resolution, who also mediated the Los Angeles deal. Hicks called him "a highly experienced neutral third-party mediator" in his message to priests. Survivors' counsel are organized through a plaintiffs' liaison committee of eight firms that, between them, represent most of the claimants; Anderson's firm alone represents about 300.

How much will each survivor get in the Archdiocese of New York settlement?

Each survivor will receive at least $250,000 gross, and claimants who choose individual review may receive more, depending on what the neutral allocator finds about the severity and consequences of the abuse. Simple division puts the average gross value at a little over $615,000 per claimant ($800 million across about 1,300 claims), but that average is not a promise to anyone.

Three variables move the real number.

The quick-pay election. Anderson described the $250,000 option as a way for survivors to remove themselves from the individualized allocation process: faster money, no further intrusion into the history of the abuse, and no risk of a lower valuation. Every claimant who takes it leaves more for the allocation pool. If all 1,300 elected quick pay, the floor would consume about $325 million, leaving the balance to be spread through some other mechanism; that will not happen in practice, but it shows how much of the fund is reserved for individualized awards.

The allocator's matrix. The criteria have not been published. Abuse-settlement allocations generally score the type, frequency and duration of abuse, the claimant's age, the abuser's position, and documented psychological and economic injury, functioning much like a Settlement Matrix in a product Mass Tort. One report described the allocator as a judge retained through survivors' counsel; the person has not been named.

Deductions. Gross awards are reduced by each firm's Contingency Fee and case expenses, and potentially by any Medical Lien or other reimbursement claim. No source has reported the fee percentages in this settlement, and they will vary by retainer.

Scenario	Gross per claimant	What drives it
Quick-pay election	$250,000 (minimum)	Flat award; claimant opts out of individualized review
Simple average of the fund	About $615,000	$800 million divided by roughly 1,300 claims; illustrative only
Individualized allocation	Above or below the average	Allocator's scoring of abuse type, duration, age and harm; not capped by the average
Insurer recoveries	Unknown, additive	Any recovery from Chubb or other carriers flows into the trust later

When will the Archdiocese of New York settlement be paid, and is it final?

Not yet, on either count: the settlement is not final until it is signed, signing is scheduled for the week of November 6, 2026, and the first and larger tranche of about $615 million would follow only after the agreement takes effect, with the remaining $185 million or so due within about 15 months. Hicks told priests the agreement would not be final until the parties sign it; reports say survivors' acceptance threshold was satisfied on October 24.

Even after signing, money does not reach survivors at once. The trust has to be funded, the quick-pay elections processed, and the allocator's individualized reviews completed. Settlement trusts of this kind are frequently set up as a Qualified Settlement Fund (QSF) and run by a Claims Administrator, although the parties have not described the vehicle. Several reports note that a number of procedural steps remain before the first checks issue.

Timeline: from the revival window to the signing table

Date	Event
Aug. 14, 2019	Child Victims Act revival window opens; hundreds of suits are filed statewide on day one, and the court system assigns dozens of judges to the docket
Aug. 2021	Window closes after a pandemic-related extension by the Legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo
2023	Chubb's Century Indemnity unit sues for a declaration that its policies do not cover the abuse claims
Apr. 23, 2024	Appellate Division, First Department lets Chubb's declaratory judgment action proceed
2024	Archdiocese sues Chubb under the General Business Law, accusing it of evading its obligations
Dec. 2025	Cardinal Timothy Dolan announces layoffs, a 10% operating-budget cut and property sales expected to raise more than $300 million for survivors
Late 2025	Archdiocese asks Chubb for authority to discuss resolving up to 1,700 claims for up to $2 billion; Chubb later calls the figure "outdated"
Feb. 2026	Archdiocese alleges Chubb secretly operated a group styled the "Church Accountability Project"; Chubb calls it a delay tactic
May 1, 2026	Archdiocese, now led by Archbishop Hicks, proposes about $800 million; counsel warn that any holdout could push the case into Chapter 11
May 2026	Court-appointed special referee allows the archdiocese to depose Chubb CEO Evan Greenberg
Oct. 24, 2026	Hicks emails clergy that agreement has been reached; acceptance threshold reported met
Oct. 25, 2026	Anderson: all survivors who filed claims have agreed
Week of Nov. 6, 2026	Scheduled signing; the deal becomes binding

Why didn't the Archdiocese of New York file for bankruptcy?

The archdiocese avoided bankruptcy because it secured the unanimous agreement of the roughly 1,300 claimants, which is the only way a voluntary, out-of-court deal can end every case. A Chapter 11 plan can bind dissenting creditors once enough of a voting class accepts; a private settlement cannot. That is why plaintiffs' lawyers told clients in May that "if there are any holdouts, the global settlement will not be consummated," and that the archdiocese and participating parties might then file for Chapter 11.

Both sides had reasons to stay out of bankruptcy court. For the archdiocese, Chapter 11 brings years of fees for debtor's counsel, creditors' committee professionals and a mediator, plus intense scrutiny of parish and affiliate assets. The Supreme Court's 2024 decision in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma also bars nonconsensual third-party releases in Chapter 11, making it harder for a diocese to use a plan to protect parishes, schools and insurers that do not themselves file. For survivors, bankruptcy stops the clock: the Diocese of Rockville Centre filed in October 2020 and did not have a confirmed plan until December 4, 2024.

New York has been the national laboratory for this choice. Rockville Centre, Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo were among the New York dioceses that filed for Chapter 11 after the Child Victims Act passed. The archdiocese, the state's largest, instead raised cash. Its biggest sale, the land beneath the Lotte New York Palace hotel on Madison Avenue, brought about $490 million; its former headquarters at 1011 First Avenue sold for about $103 million.

What happens to the Chubb insurance lawsuit after the settlement?

The Chubb coverage litigation continues, and survivors gain a direct stake in it: the settlement lets the survivors' trust pursue the archdiocese's insurers, with any recovery added to what claimants receive. The archdiocese has confirmed that its litigation against the insurer remains active.

The dispute is about policies, not facts of abuse. Chubb's Century Indemnity unit issued more than 30 liability policies to the archdiocese between 1956 and 2003. Chubb's position is that the abuse claims are not covered "occurrences" because the injuries were intended, known or expected rather than accidental; the archdiocese calls that defense "absurd and unfounded" and has said that Chubb, "despite accepting millions in premiums," refused to honor its policies. The First Department allowed Chubb's declaratory judgment action to go forward in April 2024, and in May 2026 a special referee cleared the way to depose Chubb's chief executive.

Moving the insurance claims into a trust changes the litigation in three ways:

1. A settled underlying liability. The archdiocese's exposure now has a number, about $800 million, which coverage counsel can use to frame indemnity demands and to argue reasonableness of the settlement.
2. A new plaintiff with different incentives. A survivors' trust has no ongoing customer relationship with the carrier and no institutional reason to compromise early.
3. A large expected-or-intended fight. Whether an institution "expected" abuse by its employees is decided policy by policy and year by year. A ruling for the trust on early policy years could matter to every diocese whose legacy coverage was written on similar forms.

No public response from Chubb to the October agreement was located for this report.

How does the New York settlement compare with Los Angeles and other dioceses?

At about $800 million for 1,300 claims, the Archdiocese of New York settlement is second only to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles' $880 million agreement for 1,353 claims announced October 16, 2024, and it is more than twice the largest bankruptcy-plan resolution in New York, Rockville Centre's $323 million.

Settlement	Amount	Claims	Route	Status
Archdiocese of Los Angeles (Oct. 2024)	$880 million	1,353	Out-of-court, no bankruptcy	Agreed; paid from investments, reserves, borrowing and co-defendants
Archdiocese of New York (Oct. 2026)	About $800 million	About 1,300	Out-of-court, no bankruptcy	Signing set for week of Nov. 6
Diocese of Rockville Centre (Dec. 2024)	About $323 million	Hundreds	Chapter 11 plan (Bankr. S.D.N.Y., Chief Judge Martin Glenn)	Confirmed Dec. 4, 2024; about $235 million from diocese and parishes, about $85 million from insurers
Diocese of Rochester (2026)	About $257 million fund	Not reported here	Chapter 11 plan (Bankr. W.D.N.Y., Judge Paul R. Warren)	Plan confirmed Sept. 5, per OSV News

Per claim, Los Angeles averaged about $650,000 and New York about $615,000; both dwarf the bankruptcy outcomes, where insurers and parish contributions had to be negotiated plan-wide. Courtroom data points sit on either side of the New York average. In October 2026 a Manhattan jury awarded $11.3 million against Riverside Church in a single CVA case, after an $18 million June verdict against New York City. Those verdicts explain why a quarter-million-dollar floor was the minimum survivors' counsel could recommend, and why individualized review remains on the table.

The non-monetary terms

Survivor groups have long treated disclosure as equal in importance to money, and the New York deal contains two commitments. The archdiocese must keep a public list of credibly accused clergy and lay leaders and update it as new allegations are substantiated; its first list, released in 2019, named 53 men. It must also give Iona University copies of the documents concerning the abuse allegations, so that historians and the public can examine how church leaders handled reports.

Not every survivor's lawyer sees that as enough. Mitchell Garabedian, who represents clergy-abuse victims, said the agreement provides "some but not all" of the validation survivors sought through transparency and accountability. Anderson, while praising the unanimous result, described the May proposal as "far from full accountability."

Can survivors who did not file under the Child Victims Act still join?

Generally no: the settlement covers the roughly 1,300 claims already filed, and the Child Victims Act revival window that made old claims timely closed in August 2021. Two avenues remain for people outside the deal:

• The age-55 rule. The Child Victims Act also extended, going forward, the Statute of Limitations for civil child sexual-abuse claims so that survivors can sue until age 55 for qualifying conduct. A survivor still younger than 55 may be able to file a new claim, subject to the Act's conditions.
• Adult survivors. The separate Adult Survivors Act opened a one-year window, which closed in November 2023, for people abused at age 18 or older.

Whether a later-filed claim would share in insurer recoveries obtained by the trust depends on terms that have not been published.

What it means for practitioners

Plaintiffs' personal injury firms. The quick-pay floor creates a client-counseling obligation: firms have to explain, in writing, the trade-off between a certain $250,000 and an uncertain individualized award, along with fee and lien deductions under each path. Firms holding inventories against other New York defendants (schools, hospitals, youth organizations) now have a public per-claim benchmark between $250,000 and about $615,000, alongside eight-figure verdicts like Riverside's.

Insurers and coverage counsel. Expect the trust to press Chubb with discovery the archdiocese already won, including the Greenberg deposition. Carriers with legacy occurrence policies covering religious and youth-serving institutions should watch how New York courts resolve the expected-or-intended defense, because a trust plaintiff is less likely to settle for nuisance value.

Other dioceses and institutional defendants. New York and Los Angeles show that a well-capitalized institution can avoid Chapter 11 if it can deliver unanimity, which in turn requires a guaranteed floor large enough that no client is better off holding out. After Purdue, the bankruptcy route offers less protection to non-debtor affiliates, which strengthens the case for this model.

Litigation funders and lenders. Funders that advanced money against CVA claims gain a payment date and a minimum recovery. Third-Party Litigation Funding agreements tied to these cases will need to be reconciled against the quick-pay election, because a client who elects the floor may cap the funder's return.

FAQ

How much is the Archdiocese of New York settlement?

About $800 million, covering roughly 1,300 abuse claims, the second-largest clergy-abuse settlement by a US archdiocese after Los Angeles' $880 million in 2024.

How much will each survivor receive?

At least $250,000 gross through the quick-pay option, or a different amount set by a neutral allocator for survivors who choose individual review; fees and expenses come out of each award.

Is the Archdiocese of New York settlement final?

No. Archbishop Hicks said it will not be final until it is signed, which is scheduled for the week of November 6, 2026, although every filing survivor has agreed to the plan.

When will the Archdiocese of New York settlement be paid?

About $615 million is due first after the agreement takes effect, and the remaining roughly $185 million within about 15 months; individual payments depend on trust administration and the allocation process.

Did the Archdiocese of New York file for bankruptcy?

No. Unanimous claimant acceptance allowed an out-of-court settlement, avoiding the Chapter 11 route taken by the Dioceses of Rockville Centre, Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo.

What happens with Chubb?

The coverage litigation continues, and survivors' trust may pursue Chubb and other insurers, with any recovery added to the fund for claimants.