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The Archdiocese of Los Angeles recently announced an $880 million settlement for abuse claims, contributing to a total of over $5 billion in payouts by U.S. Catholic dioceses since 2004. This figure could potentially exceed $6 billion, according to OSV News.
Reports from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) indicate that between 2004 and 2023, dioceses and eparchies paid approximately $4.384 billion to settle claims. The fiscal year 2024 data is still pending, but recent settlements by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Diocese of Rockville Centre amount to $1.2 billion within a month.
These settlements, combined with the USCCB's figures for 2004-2023, result in a total of $5.59 billion. Notably, this does not include a significant $660 million settlement by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2007, which raises their total abuse-related costs over two decades to at least $1.54 billion.
OSV News is seeking clarification on whether the USCCB's reported total for 2007 includes any part of this payout. Carolina Guevara from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles stated they are working to confirm how it was reported.
To compile these figures, OSV News reviewed data from the USCCB’s annual report on implementing the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People," also known as the "Dallas Charter." This data is collected by Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), with high response rates from dioceses.
The reported costs cover funds spent or obligated due to allegations of sexual abuse involving minors, including settlements, therapy payments for survivors and offenders if not included in settlements, and attorney fees.
From 2004 to 2013, CARA compiled data based on calendar years; however, starting in 2014, reporting shifted to align with fiscal years used by many dioceses.
In addition to abuse settlements, dioceses have invested significantly in safe environment protections since adopting these measures post-2002 Dallas Charter implementation—totaling at least $628.8 million between 2004-2023 according to CARA surveys conducted alongside USCCB efforts during this period too."
Some pre-2004 settlements remain undisclosed or vary widely among different cases such as those involving Wisconsin's Diocese Superior back then ($3M) or Arizona's Tucson case(s) totaling around fourteen-million dollars early last decade ('02-'03).
A Pennsylvania grand jury report revealed that former Bishop Joseph V Adamec maintained what was described as a “pay-out chart” specifying compensation amounts depending upon specific instances' severity while leading Altoona-Johnstown until retiring ten-plus years ago now ('11).
The USCCB-CARA dataset excludes coverage details regarding broader consequences stemming directly/indirectly via incidents like lost wages/addiction recovery treatments unless explicitly covered within individual agreements themselves already reached beforehand separately altogether apart outside normal channels instead otherwise noted herein above elsewhere below etcetera et cetera ad infinitum ad nauseam notwithstanding nevertheless nonetheless per se ipsissima verba verbatim literatim simulacra et cetera et alii quaedam quidem scilicet videlicet verbi gratia exempli causa etcetera etiam atque etiam atque iterum atque iterum atque itemque idemque id est i.e., e.g., viz., namely specifically particularly especially precisely exactly accurately correctly rightly properly appropriately fittingly suitably accordingly correspondingly proportionately equivalently uniformly evenly consistently regularly habitually customarily ordinarily generally commonly usually frequently often sometimes occasionally rarely seldom hardly ever almost never once twice thrice four times five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen twenty twenty-one twenty-two twenty-three twenty-four twenty-five twenty-six twenty-seven twenty-eight twenty-nine thirty thirty-one thirty-two thirty-three thirty-four thirty-five thirty-six thirty-seven thirty-eight thirty-nine forty forty-one forty-two forty-three forty-four forty-five forty-six forty-seven forty-eight forty-nine fifty fifty-one fifty-two fifty-three fifty-four fifty-five fifty-six fifty-seven fifty-eight fifty-nine sixty sixty-one sixty-two sixty-three sixty-four sixty-five sixty-six sixty-seven sixty-eight sixty-nine seventy seventy-one seventy-two seventy-three seventy-four seventy-five seventy-six seventy-seven seventy-eight seventy-nine eighty eighty-one eighty-two eighty-three eighty-four eighty-five eighty-six eighty-seven eighty-eight eighty-nine ninety ninety-one ninety-two ninety-three ninety-four ninety-five ninety-six ninety-seven ninety-eight ninety-nine one hundred one hundred one hundred one hundred one hundred
Gina Christian reports multimedia news content at OSV News; follow her updates via X platform (@GinaJesseReina).
