A Catholic diocese in New Jersey has agreed to an $87.5 million settlement with an estimated 300 sexual abuse victims, the largest settlement of its kind in over a decade.
The settlement was announced by the diocese in Camden, New Jersey, on Tuesday and is the largest settlement by a Catholic diocese since 2007.
“I want to express my sincere apology to all those who have been affected by sexual abuse in our diocese,” said Bishop Dennis Sullivan in a statement announcing the settlement. “My prayers go out to all survivors of abuse, and I pledge my continuing commitment to ensure that this terrible chapter in the history of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, never happens again.”
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The $87.5 million will go into a substantial trust and will be used to compensate the victims over a four-year period. The settlement also included the maintenance and enhancement of protocols for protecting children, which the diocese implemented in 2022.
The settlement is still subject to bankruptcy court approval.
The agreement was negotiated after the Camden diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2020 in an attempt to resolve multiple lawsuits over sexual abuse allegations through the New Jersey Independent Victims Compensation Program.
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Victims should expect to receive an average of $290,000, according to the victims’ attorneys, who claim that it will be the largest cash payment by any Catholic diocese in bankruptcy to date, according to NJ.com.
Archbishop Roger Mahony apologized for the “terrible sin and crime” perpetrated by the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles, where the diocese agreed to pay a $660 million settlement to more than 508 victims in 2007.
