MESSAGE FROM ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ ON AB 218 GLOBAL SETTLEMENT

October 16, 2024  |  By: newsroom  |  Press Releases  |  

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Plaintiff’s Liaison Committee announced today that an agreement in principle has been reached for a global settlement for the remaining claims filed against the Archdiocese under California Assembly Bill 218 (AB 218). In a message to the faithful and communities served by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Archbishop José H. Gomez expressed sorrow on behalf of the Archdiocese for the harm caused to survivor-victims of past abuse by clergy, religious men and women, and lay persons who had served in the Archdiocese and reiterated the Archdiocese’s pledge to continue supporting survivor-victims and serve those most in need.

“I am sorry for every one of these incidents, from the bottom of my heart,” expressed Archbishop Gomez. “My hope is that this settlement will provide some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered.”

“I believe that we have come to a resolution of these claims that will provide just compensation to the survivor-victims of these past abuses while also allowing the Archdiocese to continue to carry out our ministries to the faithful and our social programs serving the poor and vulnerable in our communities,” added the Archbishop.

In his letter, Archbishop Gomez explained that the administrative office of the Archdiocese will take the financial responsibility for the settlement.

“We have determined that funding for this settlement will be drawn from reserves, investments, and loans, along with other Archdiocesan assets and payments that will be made by religious orders and others named in the litigation,” explained the Archbishop. “No designated donations to parishes or schools or to archdiocesan-wide collections and campaigns, such as Together in Mission and Called to Renew, will be used for the financing of this settlement.”

Archbishop Gomez also reaffirmed the Archdiocese’s commitment to abuse prevention and the protection of minors and the vulnerable.

“As you know, for many years now the Archdiocese has been confronting the consequences of past abuse by priests, clergy, and others working in the Church,” explained Archbishop Gomez. “We provide pastoral care and financial support for survivor-victims to assist in their healing. We enforce strict background and reporting requirements, and we have established extensive training programs to protect young people and to ensure safe environments in our parishes, schools, and other ministries.

“Today, as a result of these reforms, new cases of sexual misconduct by priests and clergy involving minors are rare in the Archdiocese. No one who has been found to have harmed a minor is serving in ministry at this time. And I promise: we will remain vigilant.”

Full text of the Archbishop’s letter in English and Spanish is attached.

California State Assembly Bill 218 (AB 218), which was passed in 2019, lifted the statute of limitations for a second time in California allowing civil claims of past sexual misconduct involving minors during a three-year window from 2020-2022. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles was named in approximately 1900 claims involving allegations of past sexual misconduct by clergy, religious and lay women and men going back to the 1940s. None of the claims involve recent sexual misconduct. The Archdiocese entered into mediation after the close of the statute window in 2023, working with plaintiffs’ counsel to resolve the coordinated AB 218 civil litigation claims. For more information regarding the AB 218 settlement and the Archdiocese’s abuse prevention efforts, the public can visit: LACatholics.org/AB218.

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