Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer

Understanding the Roman Catholic Church Sex Abuse Scandal

For decades, the Roman Catholic Church has been accused of covering up sexual abuse by priests, bishops, and other clergy members. Lawsuits and Church documents have revealed a pattern of concealment and inaction, showing how the Church failed to protect victims.

Nearly 11,000 allegations of sexual abuse have been brought against over 4,000 priests, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Catholic Church sex abuse lawsuits claim:

• Priests, bishops, and other clergy members sexually abused children and vulnerable adults
• Known abusers were often reassigned to new parishes instead of being removed from ministry, putting more children at risk
• Survivors and families were silenced through intimidation, confidentiality agreements, and pressure from Church leaders in order to protect the institution’s reputation
• Abuse was concealed through systematic cover-ups by Church leaders, who failed to report abuse allegations to law enforcement

Although some allegations are from the 1940s, the scandal didn’t gain attention until 60 years later when the Boston Globe launched an investigation. Since then, the Roman Catholic Church has paid out more than $5 Billion in Catholic Church abuse settlements and legal fees.

If you or a loved one suffered abuse within the Catholic Church, even if it happened decades ago, we may be able to help you seek the justice and compensation you deserve.

The Latest Catholic Church Sex Abuse News

The Catholic Church sexual abuse crisis continues to unfold, with new lawsuits, investigations, and settlements making headlines across the country. These recent developments reflect both the lasting harm survivors have endured and the growing demand for accountability.

Here are the latest Catholic Church abuse lawsuit updates and news:

• November 2025: A lawsuit alleges the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph ignored years of warnings about Father John Tulipana, a now-deceased priest. The anonymous plaintiff says Tulipana groomed and abused him in the 1970s and that the Diocese discouraged his mother from filing a formal report.
• October 27, 2025: In New York, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany settled a priest sexual abuse lawsuit for $8 Million. The lawsuit claims Father Edward Charles Pratt sexually abused a boy starting when he was just 11 years old.
• October 10, 2025: In New Jersey, a jury awarded a former student $5 Million in a clergy sex abuse case against Delbarton School, finding that the school negligently supervised Rev. Richard Edward Lott.
• October 1, 2025: More than 2 years after the Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for bankruptcy, survivors have sent letters to the court accusing the Archdiocese and lawyers of dragging out the process. They claim over $11 Million has been spent on legal fees, but survivors have yet to receive any payment.
• September 2025: The Archdiocese of New Orleans has agreed to increase their Catholic Church sexual abuse settlement fund to $230 Million. The increase follows pushback from survivors and attorneys who said the original offer of nearly $180 Million was insufficient.
• August 2025: In Washington, a federal judge temporarily blocked part of a new state law that would have required Catholic priests to report child sexual abuse disclosed during confession. This provision will remain on hold while legal challenges over its constitutionality play out in court.
• July 2025: Eight Catholic Church sex abuse lawsuits alleged that priests in New Mexico sexually abused children between 1956 and 1990. Meanwhile, in New York, the Diocese of Rochester agreed to a $246 Million abuse settlement.
• June 2025: The Diocese of Buffalo finalized a $150 Million bankruptcy settlement to resolve nearly 900 clergy abuse claims, one of the largest case totals in the U.S.
• May 2025: The Archdiocese of New Orleans agreed to contribute nearly $180 Million into a trust for over 500 survivors as part of its bankruptcy proceedings.
• April 2025: Washington state passed a bill requiring clergy to report child abuse or neglect, even when disclosed during confession.
• March 2025: The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that previously sealed court records in a clergy sexual abuse investigation must be made public, marking a major win for prosecutors.
• January 2025: Catholic dioceses and men’s religious orders have spent over $5 Billion on clergy sexual abuse claims involving minors over the past two decades, according to a report from Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.
• December 2024: A New York bankruptcy judge approved the Diocese of Rockville Centre’s $320 Million settlement with 600 childhood sex abuse survivors.
• October 2024: The Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to a nearly $900 Million settlement with more than 1,300 survivors of Catholic Church sexual abuse, one of the largest settlements of its kind in U.S. history.
• April 2024: New York Attorney General Letitia James announced an agreement with the Diocese of Brooklyn after an investigation found the Diocese had mismanaged clergy sexual abuse cases for years.

These events suggest that the Catholic Church sex abuse crisis is far from over. As more survivors come forward and states take action to expose decades of misconduct, court rulings and settlements continue to provide survivors with a path toward justice.

Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Settlements and Verdicts

While no amount of money can erase the trauma of sexual abuse, Catholic Church abuse compensation can help survivors take important steps toward healing. For many, holding the Church accountable has provided a sense of justice and the resources needed to rebuild their lives.

Catholic Church sex abuse settlements can cover therapy costs, lost income, and other damages caused by years of pain and silence.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany to Pay $8 Million Abuse Settlement

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany has agreed to pay $8 Million to Michael Harmon, who filed a lawsuit against the Diocese in March 2020 under New York's Child Victims Act lookback window.

From approximately 1980 to 1985, Father Edward Charles Pratt of St. Catherine's reportedly groomed and sexually abused Harmon when he was a minor.

The lawsuit, which claims the Diocese knew or should've known about Pratt's actions, settled just days before it was set to go to trial.

New Jersey Catholic School & Priest Ordered to Pay $5 Million

In October 2025, a jury ordered Delbarton School, an all-boys Catholic prep school in Morristown, New Jersey, to pay $5 Million to a former student who was sexually abused by Rev. Richard Edward Lott.

Jurors found that the school negligently supervised Lott, assigning 65% of the fault to Delbarton and 35% to Lott himself.

The survivor first filed his lawsuit in 2017 against the school, Lott, and the Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey, claiming that officials ignored warnings about Lott’s inappropriate behavior and failed to protect students.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse to Pay $176 Million Abuse Settlement

In August 2025, a judge approved the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse's plan to exit bankruptcy and establish a $176 Million settlement for survivors of abuse.

The settlement brings to a close more than 5 years of bankruptcy proceedings, during which time over 400 church sexual abuse lawsuits were filed.

In addition to financial compensation, the Diocese's bankruptcy plan also includes provisions aimed at preventing future abuse by priests and supporting survivors through the healing process.

Catholic Diocese of Rochester Reaches $246 Million Clergy Abuse Settlement

In July 2025, the Diocese of Rochester and their insurers agreed to a $246 Million Catholic Church sexual abuse settlement.

The Diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2019, after New York's Child Victims Act was passed. Since then, nearly 500 survivors have come forward.

The settlement includes $120 Million from Continental Insurance Company, one of the Diocese's major insurers. Survivors previously voted against a $75 Million offer from the company, arguing that it didn't reflect the harm they endured.

$150 Million Settlement for Buffalo Catholic Diocese Abuse

In June 2025, the Diocese of Buffalo reached a $150 Million bankruptcy settlement to resolve about 900 claims of clergy sexual abuse. Almost half of the Diocese's parishes were implicated in the claims, highlighting the widespread nature of the allegations.

Parishes will contribute $80 Million, the diocese itself $30 Million, and affiliated Catholic entities $10 Million, with the remainder coming from real estate sales.

The agreement follows 5 years of bankruptcy proceedings and includes protections for parishes from future claims. Survivors’ claims were filed under New York’s Child Victims Act, which temporarily extended the statute of limitations or deadline to file abuse cases.

New Orleans Archdiocese Agrees to $230 Million Catholic Abuse Settlement

In September 2025, the Archdiocese of New Orleans agreed to pay $230 Million to settle more than 500 claims of clergy sexual abuse. Church records reportedly documented years of abuse claims and clergy transfers.

Many survivors and their attorneys criticized the Archdiocese's initial settlement offer of $179.2 Million, calling it a “secret backroom deal” to prevent victims from pursuing justice in state court.

Now, survivors have until late October to vote on the Archdiocese's proposed settlement. At least two-thirds of survivors must vote in favor of the settlement in order for payouts to begin.

$31 Million Catholic Church Abuse Settlement Approved in Connecticut

In May 2025, a federal bankruptcy judge approved a $31 Million settlement for survivors of clergy sexual abuse in the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut. The plan creates independent trusts, with average payouts estimated at $310,000 per survivor.

Many of the claims were tied to incidents at the church-run Academy at Mount St. John between 1989 and 2002. Alleged abusers include a former executive director and a music teacher who also served as a Boy Scout leader.

The plan was a major step toward justice after more than 200 Catholic Church sexual abuse claims were filed against the diocese.

LA Archdiocese Agrees to $880 Million Catholic Church Child Abuse Settlement

In October 2024, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $880 Million to settle more than 1,300 claims of California Catholic Church abuse. The payout is the largest of its kind in the history of the Catholic Church in the U.S.

The claims span decades and involve dozens of priests within the country’s largest archdiocese. Former priest Michael Baker, convicted of child molestation in 2007, was linked to multiple claims. In 2013, the Archdiocese paid nearly $10 Million to settle four cases involving him.

As part of the agreement, the Archdiocese will be required to release internal files on known abusers, including some whose identities had not previously been made public. Survivors and their attorneys have said this step is critical for preventing future abuse.

New York Diocese Reaches $323 Million Catholic Church Abuse Settlement

In September 2024, the Diocese of Rockville Centre in Long Island agreed to a $323 Million bankruptcy settlement involving approximately 600 survivors of Catholic Church abuse in New York.

About 100 of the survivors are now in their 60s and 70s, having waited decades to be heard and get justice for the abuse they endured as children.

The agreement includes $234.8 Million from the diocese and $85.3 Million from insurers. An earlier $200 Million settlement for Catholic Church sexual abuse was rejected.

Brooklyn Diocese Agrees to $27.5 Million Catholic Abuse Settlement

The Diocese of Brooklyn agreed to a $27.5 Million settlement with four survivors who were sexually abused as children by Catholic school teacher Angelo Serrano between 2002 and 2009.

Serrano, now serving a 15-year prison sentence, assaulted the boys at his apartment and church offices tied to St. Lucy–St. Patrick’s Church.

While the diocese claimed Serrano was a volunteer and not an employee, a judge found that two priests failed to report clear warning signs. The case highlights ongoing concerns about the Catholic Church’s ability to protect children.

Many Catholic Church abuse settlements have helped survivors find both financial support and a sense of justice. No matter when or where the abuse occurred, we're here to listen with compassion, support your next steps, and explain your legal options.

How the Church Handles Catholic Priest Sex Abuse

For decades, the Church has been accused of hiding Catholic clergy abuse instead of reporting it to members of law enforcement.

In 2018, a Pennsylvania grand jury’s report revealed a “playbook” used by dioceses to manage and hide abuse allegations.

Tactics used by the Church to hide child abuse included:

• Conducting biased or insufficient internal investigations that often protected the accused and avoided accountability
• Failing to inform the public or parishioners about known abusers, which allowed them to continue accessing children
• Sending abusive priests to treatment centers instead of reporting them to law enforcement
• Transferring the priests to new parishes once they were deemed "rehabilitated"
• Using language in internal documents like “boundary issues” or “inappropriate" to downplay abuse

“The bishops weren’t just aware of what was going on; they were immersed in it. And they went to great lengths to keep it secret. The secrecy helped spread the disease.”
– Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report

Even when internal investigations found allegations credible, many priests were allowed to continue working. While some were formally defrocked or removed from the priesthood, this often meant little in practice.

It's estimated that nearly 2,000 former clergy members live unsupervised, sometimes near schools or playgrounds. Others sought new roles in education, counseling, ministry, or as foster parents. With the truth hidden, known abusers are often free to offend again.

Catholic Priest Sexual Abuse List

The Catholic Church has released the names of hundreds of priests and clergy members who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse. Many served in parishes across the country for years, sometimes even after Church leaders were aware of the allegations.

The list below includes priests and parishes tied to abuse claims, based on Church disclosures, legal filings, and media investigations:

• Archdiocese of Baltimore: A statewide investigation launched by the Maryland Attorney General in 2018 revealed that more than 150 clergy members had abused over 600 children within the Archdiocese. This number has continued to grow as more survivors come forward.
• Gilbert Gauthe: One of the first widely publicized cases of clergy abuse in the U.S., Gauthe, a priest with the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana, was accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting children. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1985 and served 10 years before being released.
• John Geoghan: At the center of the 2002 Boston clergy abuse scandal, Geoghan was accused of abusing more than 130 children and was convicted that same year. Investigative reporting by The Boston Globe and the release of thousands of Church documents revealed a widespread pattern of moving accused priests between parishes.
• Cardinal Theodore McCarrick: In 2018, McCarrick was accused of sexually abusing a teenager and multiple seminary students, becoming the first U.S. cardinal forced to resign due to sexual abuse allegations. He later faced criminal charges in Massachusetts and Wisconsin, but he was deemed not competent to stand trial in either case.
• Daniel McCormack: Once a Chicago priest, McCormack pleaded guilty in 2007 to sexually abusing 5 boys and was sentenced to 5 years in prison. In 2023, he was committed indefinitely to a state facility after being deemed a sexually violent person.
• Arthur Perrault: A former priest who fled the U.S., Perrault was sentenced in 2019 to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing an altar boy at a veterans’ cemetery and military base in New Mexico. The judge called it the worst child sex abuse case she had seen in 26 years on the bench.
• Paul Shanley: A former Boston priest and one of the first to be imprisoned during the Catholic Church abuse scandal, Shanley was convicted in 2005 of repeatedly raping a boy in the 1980s.
• Michael Zacharias: In 2023, the Ohio priest was sentenced to life in prison after a federal jury convicted him on 5 counts of sex trafficking.

This list represents only a small number of the priests and parishes named in clergy sexual abuse allegations. In many cases, abusers have yet to be publicly identified.

Where Does Roman Catholic Church Abuse Occur?

Sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church has been reported nationwide and in a wide range of settings. Abuse often occurred in places where clergy members had unsupervised access to children, sometimes under the pretense of religious instruction.

Roman Catholic abuse has taken place in:

• Catholic schools and classrooms
• Parish churches and rectories
• Private residences and businesses
• Summer camps and youth retreats

Investigations and civil sexual abuse lawsuits have revealed abuse in dioceses across the country, including in California, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, among many others.

How to File a Catholic Abuse Lawsuit

We understand how difficult it can be to come forward after experiencing sexual abuse, especially when it involves a Church member you trusted. What happened to you wasn't your fault, and you don’t have to face this alone.

Our team is here to support you, and we can handle every step of the legal process on your behalf while you focus on healing.

Our Catholic Church abuse lawyers may be able to:

• Provide a free case review to help you understand your legal options
• Collect evidence like Church records, medical files, and witness testimony
• File your Catholic Church sexual abuse lawsuit against the abuser, the Roman Catholic Church, and any parties that enabled the abuse
• Negotiate a Catholic Church child abuse settlement with the defendant(s)
• Take your case to trial if needed and pursue compensation in the form of a verdict

At Sokolove Law, we stand with survivors. Our goal is to make the legal process as easy and stress-free as possible. If you have questions, we’re here to listen and help you take the next step forward.

Filing a Catholic sex abuse lawsuit can hold the Church accountable and provide a path toward justice and healing. Our sexual abuse lawyers are here to help you understand your legal options.

Deadlines for Catholic Priest Abuse Lawsuits

Each state has a law known as the statute of limitations that restricts how long you have to file a lawsuit for Catholic priest abuse. These deadlines vary based on factors like where the abuse occurred and how old you were at the time.

Legal options may still be available to survivors who were harmed decades ago, even if their abuser is now deceased.

Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Statistics

While the Catholic Church has publicly released thousands of names of credibly accused clergy, the actual scope of abuse may be far greater than these lists reveal.

Decades of cover-ups, underreporting, and institutional silence have hidden the full extent of the crisis, often preventing survivors from coming forward until years or even decades later.

Find out about Catholic Church abuse statistics in the United States:

• Approximately 11,000 allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have been formally reported in America from 1950 to 2002, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
• The abuse allegations involve nearly 4,500 perpetrators, with 95% identified as priests, 4% as religious brothers, and 1% as deacons.
• Dioceses and religious orders received 16,276 credible allegations of sexual abuse of children by priests, deacons, or religious brothers over a 20-year period, as reported by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.
• A Pennsylvania grand jury report identified more than 300 priests who abused over 1,000 children during a 70-year period.
• At least 20 other states have opened investigations into Roman Catholic dioceses, uncovering thousands of additional victims. Despite widespread abuse, few cases have led to criminal prosecutions.
• Around 62% of U.S. Catholics believe clergy sexual abuse remains an ongoing issue, while only 31% consider it a problem of the past, according to Pew Research Center.
• Between 2004 and 2024, the Church paid out over $5 Billion in Catholic abuse settlements and legal fees.

Catholic Church sex abuse statistics likely reflect only part of the truth. Many survivors have never reported what happened to them due to trauma, fear, shame, or lack of support. As more victims step forward, the full scope of this crisis continues to emerge.

History of the Catholic Church Sex Abuse Scandal

For decades, the Catholic Church concealed widespread sexual abuse by priests, bishops, and other clergy. While whispers of the abuse circulated for years, it wasn’t until the early 2000s that the truth began to emerge.

Thanks to brave survivors, investigative journalists, and continuous legal efforts, the scope of the scandal was finally exposed, revealing a pattern of institutional failure at the highest levels of the Roman Catholic Church.

Key moments in the Catholic Church abuse crisis include:

• 1950s-1990s: Church leaders routinely concealed abuse allegations by reassigning known abusers to new parishes rather than removing them from ministry or alerting authorities.
• 1985: Internal Church memos warned of a growing sexual abuse crisis, but leadership largely ignored the problem.
• 1992: The first priest to serve jail time for child sexual abuse was James Porter, who admitted to molesting up to 100 boys and girls between 1960 and 1974.
• 2002: The Boston Globe exposed widespread abuse and cover-ups in the Archdiocese of Boston. The case focused on Father John Geoghan, who was accused of abusing more than 130 young boys over 30 years. The scandal sparked national outrage and opened the door for thousands of survivors to come forward.
• 2002: The Dallas Charter, adopted by Church bishops, established new policies for addressing clergy sexual abuse, but many argued that it failed to fully protect survivors.
• 2004: The John Jay College of Criminal Justice report revealed approximately 11,000 allegations of child sexual abuse by nearly 4,500 clergy members between 1950 and 2002.
• 2007: The Archdiocese of Los Angeles resolved over 500 abuse claims with a $660 Million Catholic Church sex abuse settlement.
• 2018: A landmark Pennsylvania grand jury report uncovered abuse by more than 300 priests and identified over 1,000 victims, describing a systemic “playbook” used to conceal crimes.
• 2019: Over 20 state attorneys general launched investigations into Catholic sex abuse. Some states expanded statutes of limitations, allowing more survivors to file lawsuits.
• 2020s: Several dioceses filed for bankruptcy in response to growing legal claims.
• 2024: Over the last 20 years, the Church has paid more than $5 Billion in settlements and related legal fees to date.

Despite changes in Roman Catholic Church policy, many survivors are still waiting for justice, and more cases continue to emerge as secrecy is challenged and laws evolve.

If you were abused by a Catholic priest or clergy member, you may be able to take legal action and hold the Church accountable for the harm you suffered.

Get Help from Our Catholic Church Sex Abuse Lawyers

For decades, Catholic Church leaders protected abusive priests instead of children and vulnerable adults. Survivors were silenced, abusers were quietly transferred to new parishes, and the truth was buried, all to protect the Church’s reputation.

At Sokolove Law, we believe those in power must answer for the damage they caused and the harm they allowed to continue.

Our Catholic Church abuse lawyers:

• Can help victims in all 50 states
• Never charge any upfront costs or hourly fees
• Have recovered more than $10.1 Billion for victims of injustice nationwide

If you or someone you love is a survivor of sex abuse in the Catholic Church, you may be eligible to pursue compensation.

Call (800) 995-1212 right now or fill out our form to take the next step. Coming forward is never easy, but you don’t have to do it alone.

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