About 1,300 survivors of clergy sexual abuse will share an $800 million settlement with the Archdiocese of New York, which oversees Catholic parishes across Westchester County, including in Scarsdale, New Rochelle and Pelham.
Archbishop Ronald Hicks confirmed the agreement in an email to clergy on Saturday, Oct. 24, according to News 12 Westchester.
The deal is the second-largest clergy sexual abuse settlement involving a Catholic archdiocese in U.S. history. The agreement was first reported by The New York Times, according to NPR.
The settlement is not yet final. Hicks said the parties plan to formally sign during the week of Nov. 6, PBS NewsHour reported.
The archdiocese covers about 300 churches across Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island and seven counties north of New York City, serving roughly 2.5 million Catholics, according to PBS NewsHour.
In Westchester, its parishes include Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Scarsdale, Blessed Sacrament Church in New Rochelle and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Pelham, according to the archdiocese's parish directory.
The claims stem from more than seven years of litigation under New York's Child Victims Act. The 2019 law allowed survivors of childhood sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits previously blocked by statutes of limitations. All 1,300 claimants unanimously approved the settlement plan, according to attorneys.
Attorney Jeff Anderson, whose firm represents more than 250 of the plaintiffs, called the agreement "a powerful moment in the pursuit of justice" in a statement.
Under the deal, a neutral allocator will evaluate each survivor's claim individually and determine compensation based on the nature of the abuse and resulting harm, USA Today reported. Some claimants may choose a "quick-pay" option providing an immediate $250,000 instead of going through the allocation process, according to attorneys for the survivors.
The settlement also includes transparency measures. Attorneys said the archdiocese agreed to publish a list of credibly accused offenders and release previously sealed files related to accused clergy, according to USA Today.
Survivors retain the ability to pursue additional claims against the church's insurers. The deal avoids a potential Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by the archdiocese, attorneys said.
In December 2025, the archdiocese had agreed to mediation and laid off staff while planning to sell some Manhattan properties to raise $300 million toward paying survivors, NPR reported.
Several legal and administrative steps remain before funds can be distributed to survivors.
