SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Archdiocese has reached a $395 million settlement to resolve approximately 530 claims of childhood sexual abuse by clergy and church employees, attorneys announced Sunday. The agreement, which comes nearly three years after the Archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, averages roughly $745,000 per survivor.
> "We stand proudly with over 200 of those brave souls who have persisted collectively, requiring a real reckoning. A real monetary reckoning. Real accountability," said attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents hundreds of the survivors.
Beyond the financial terms, the settlement includes unprecedented non-monetary reforms. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone must turn over internal church records to an independent child protection consultant, who will produce a public report. The Archdiocese — the only Catholic diocese in California that has not yet published a list of credibly accused clergy — will now be required to release such a list.
Survivors are released from existing nondisclosure agreements, and the Archdiocese is banned from imposing future confidentiality agreements. At least one abuse survivor must be placed on the Archdiocese's review board, and Cordileone has agreed to write a letter of apology to each individual survivor.
> "Now, the survivors have power, have a voice, and are being heard," said attorney Jennifer Stein. "The Archdiocese is finally held accountable and required to be transparent in a way they never have been."
