The Archdiocese of New York announced a Global Settlement Agreement on Thursday, ending a decade-long process of addressing claims made under New York state’s Child Victims Act (CVA) and other laws, Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks wrote in a letter to the faithful.

The settlement resolves “more than 1,300 civil claims brought against the archdiocese, its parishes, charitable institutions, schools and other agencies. The Plaintiffs’ Liaison Committee, which represents close to 70% of survivor claims, negotiated the terms under the supervision of a retired judge serving as mediator,” Archbishop Hicks wrote, noting that the process had begun under his predecessor, Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

“Under the terms of the settlement, the Archdiocese and other participating entities will provide a total pool of $804.25 million for victim survivors, with a first payment of approximately $619.25 million, and a second payment, due next year, for the balance,” he wrote.

Archbishop Hicks thanked the victim-survivors who worked toward the settlement and pledged that the archdiocese would “recommit ourselves to ensuring that these horrific misdeeds are never again committed in our Church.”

The archbishop addressed sources of funding for the settlement. “The sale of the former archdiocesan chancery and the move into smaller, more affordable office space and the sale of the ground lease under the Palace Hotel raised a significant percentage of that figure, as have staff cutbacks and downsizing,” he wrote.

Background on the CVA

The litigation traces to the Child Victims Act (CVA), which the state Legislature passed on Jan. 28, 2019, and then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed on Feb. 14, 2019. It raised the age to 55 by which survivors could bring civil claims and opened a one-year lookback window, beginning Aug. 14, 2019, for time-barred claims. The pandemic led to extensions, including a bill Cuomo signed on Aug. 3, 2020, that pushed the window to Aug. 14, 2021.

According to a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) guide, the archdiocese stated that no parish or school will be forced to close, although some parishes may have sold unused property or contributed to the settlement fund from their reserves. The archdiocese said it is not planning to file for bankruptcy.

The archdiocese will keep its list of credibly accused clergy on its website. After all claims and related insurance litigation are resolved, it will give historical records on the allegations, with confidential and legally protected information removed, to Iona University or another agreed institution for archival and research purposes.