San Francisco Archdiocese to Pay Sex Abuse Victims $395 Million

“To all 500+ survivors that came forward, that stood up, that took action anonymously and or publicly, you have now brought them to bear and to do what needs to be done for kids in the future to [be] safer,” he continued

Thousands of survivors have brought lawsuits against California diocese, parishes and priests under a change in state law in 2019, which temporarily eliminated the statute of limitations for survivors of sexual assault to file claims.

In August 2023, as cases against the Archdiocese were already headed toward jury trials, the organization filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, claiming that it did not have the financial means or ability to litigate individual abuse claims. In a statement, Archbishop of San Francisco Salvatore Cordileone said in a statement that the proposed settlement “provides a path toward fair compensation for survivors who have borne the weight of this abuse for a lifetime.”

“With stringent preventative measures and training now in place for decades, the hope is that this proposal will allow us collectively to move forward by continuing the important ministries to the faithful and community members that rely on our services and charity,” he continued.

Other Bay Area dioceses have filed similar claims, including Oakland, where a jury granted a man $16 million in damages this spring, closing the first of hundreds of cases tied up in bankruptcy proceedings there.

In addition to the significant payout, the settlement demands systemic changes to the San Francisco Archdiocese’s policies to increase transparency and accountability. A 14-point plan for “systemic change, protecting children and empowering survivors,” requires new oversight measures, including amendments to whistleblower policy, adding a survivor of clerical abuse to the Archdiocese Independent Review Board and an anonymous online reporting form.

It also releases survivors from any non-disclosure agreements they have been subject to and requires the archdiocese to publish a partial list of “credibly accused” offenders. Survivors and advocates have been calling for a full public account of clergy members who have been credibly abused for years, and until now, San Francisco has been the only diocese in the state that has not released such a list.

In 2023, Cordileone acknowledged that such a list exists.

Instead, San Francisco’s diocese publishes a list of priests and deacons who are in good standing — which has been updated to remove multiple priests accused of abuse without explanation.

Joelle Casteix, a clergy abuse survivor and advocate, said the settlement’s non-monetary demands are more far-reaching than previous agreements have been.

“Hopefully, what this settlement will begin to provide is the beginning of multi-generational healing for the men and women who deserve it so greatly, and the children who could possibly still be at risk if these changes were not made,” she said Monday.

Nine survivors negotiated the settlement’s terms with Cordileone over the last three years.

Margie O’Driscoll, who said she was abused by a priest at Marin Catholic High School almost 50 years ago, described the process as “time consuming, emotionally fraught and a very difficult fight.”

“Every survivor has carried this pain and shame along like a ball and chain for a very, very long time. Victims in the case have carried this even longer than I have, for more than 70 years — ashamed and confused about what happened, scorned by the archdiocese and sometimes not even believed by family and friends,” she said. “I think today, shame is going to change sides.”