San Francisco Archdiocese to Pay $395 Million, End Bankruptcy, and Settle 500 Abuse Lawsuits

The San Francisco Catholic Archdiocese agreed to pay $395 million to settle more than 500 lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by church officials. Plaintiffs’ attorneys announced the settlement on Monday. It covers approximately 530 survivors and ends a bankruptcy process that began three years earlier.

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone must write a personal apology letter to each survivor. The agreement bars the archdiocese from using confidentiality agreements that would silence survivors. The archdiocese will create and maintain a public list of all accused clergy that includes allegations and investigation outcomes.

A committee of survivors who negotiated the deal for three years will oversee distribution of the funds. The San Francisco Archdiocese serves about 440,000 Catholics in San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo counties. The settlement follows a record $880 million agreement reached by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2024.

Besides the funds, the archdiocese will be required to follow 14 child protection and transparency demands. "The hope is that this proposal will allow us collectively to move forward," Cordileone said. " Margie O’Driscoll sued the archdiocese alleging she was sexually abused almost 50 years ago by a priest while she was a student at Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield.

She said the settlement was hard-fought and puts the responsibility on church officials, not survivors. Attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents dozens of victims, said the reforms are the most rigorous he has seen in decades of work with survivors. "I’ve been working with survivors for decades and I’ve never heard of anything quite as significant, as rigorous, as robust as what is being required of the Archdiocese of San Francisco," Anderson said.