WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? AUBRY. HEY, RANDI. SO I SPOKE WITH SURVIVORS MOMENTS AGO, SOME SAYING THAT THIS IS A DAY THAT THEY HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THEIR ENTIRE LIFE. SO TAKE A LOOK. I WANT TO SHOW YOU SOME VIDEO OF ARCHBISHOP GREGORY AMON LEAVING THE FEDERAL COURTHOUSE NOT LONG AGO, AND ARCHBISHOP AMON, HE WAS THERE. AND HE HAS APOLOGIZED DIRECTLY TO SURVIVORS. HE NOTED THAT THEY ARE WOUNDED, AND HE IS HOPEFUL THAT THEY CAN HEAL. AYMOND WILL MEET DIRECTLY WITH THEM IF THEY’RE UP FOR IT. FUNDS FOR HUNDREDS OF SURVIVORS COULD BE READY BY THE END OF THE YEAR. THE ARCHDIOCESE WILL ALSO RELEASE RECORDS LINKED TO ABUSE AND MAKE CHANGES TO ENSURE THAT ALL SURVIVORS ARE HEARD. JUDGE MEREDITH GRABILL ALSO SAYING TODAY ON THE STAND POWERFUL WORDS. SHE WAS FIGHTING BACK TEARS. SHE SAID, I HEARD YOU WHEN YOU TOLD ME THE HORROR OF HOW YOU WERE HURT AND SHATTERED. I HEARD THE POWER IN YOUR VOICE. I SAW AND FELT HOPE ALSO SAYING THE POISON OF CHILD ABUSE AFFECTS EVERYONE IN THIS COMMUNITY. LET’S DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. WE HAVE A CHANCE TO REBUILD TRUST. I SPOKE WITH AMON AND SURVIVORS AFTER COURT. JUST A BREAKDOWN ON HOW MUCH EACH PARISH WILL BE PAYING WITH THE CONTRIBUTION. YEAH, WE’RE NOT DECIDING WHAT EACH PARISH IS PAYING. WE DON’T FEEL THAT THAT’S NECESSARY TO DISCLOSE. THEN THE PAIN AND THE SUFFERING THAT I’VE BEEN THROUGH. WILL NOW ENABLE ME JUST TO BE A STRONGER PERSON. AND A MORE CONFIDENT PERSON. AND FEEL LIKE, AGAIN, AS A VICTOR COMING THROUGH THIS. AND THE DIOCESE HAS STRESSED THAT TUITION WILL NOT GO UP FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS. IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH ARCHBISHOP GREGORY AMON, WE’VE POSTED IT ON THE WDSU MOBILE APP. REPORTING LIVE FROM AUBRY KILLION WDSU NEWS AUBRY.
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Archdiocese of New Orleans years-long bankruptcy officially ends with agreed settlement
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Updated: 12:27 PM CST Dec 8, 2025
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The Archdiocese of New Orleans' yearslong bankruptcy has officially ended. Judge Meredith Grabill heard from church leaders, sex abuse survivors, and insurance companies over the course of two weeks and formally approved the $230 million settlement on Monday. Last week testimony wrapped up with Grabill taking the weekend to come to her final decision on the settlement. Attorneys for the Archdiocese said money for survivors will be ready before Dec. 31.Nearly 150 parishes and charities will contribute approximately $65 million to the settlement fund for clergy sex abuse survivors.The diocese will also pay about $28 million with an interest rate of a little more than 4% over 12 years to bondholders, as well as pay a portion of additional fees.Payouts will be specific to sex abuse claims and based on a point system.The accepted plan would pay settlements to an estimated 600 claimants in the case.The plan settlement proposes the following compensation for sex abuse survivors: $130 million in committed cash funding to be paid by the archdiocese and its affiliates into a settlement trust on the effective date of the plan A $70 million sale of Christopher Homes. Christopher Homes offers affordable housing and will stay as affordable housing. Tredway has reached an agreement to purchase Christopher Homes and maintain the 15 apartment complexes as affordable housing for about 1,700 low-income older adults. Approximately $30 million from insurance companies, which have reached settlements to date Substantial additional recoveries from abuse litigation against Travelers Insurance Co., which insured the archdiocese during the time period in which many of the abuse claims occurred Importantly, unprecedented child protection measures and transparency into the history of abuse in the archdioceseAccording to a news release issued by attorneys for the Survivors Committee, the plan also requires the archdiocese and its archbishop to implement new binding child protection protocols.Those protocols include: Overhauls the handling of reports of sexual abuse to notify law enforcement, standards for investigation of claims, documentation of all communications and regular information to the survivor, and removal of the accused perpetrator from ministry Provides for outside oversight to ensure compliance with the protocols, including a survivor seat on the Internal Review Board that reviews claims of clergy abuse and an outside child abuse prevention expert to review and monitor all child protection policies and practices Adopts a Survivors Bill of Rights that requires that survivors be treated with dignity and respect, provides resources for counseling and other services, and provides survivors with a direct line of communication to the archbishop to complain about mistreatment Creates a public archive of thousands of pages of documents related to abuse claims that, up until now, have been kept secretSex abuse survivors' claims will be reviewed before payments are decided.Once the settlement is over, records associated with abuse claims will be released and housed at LSU in Baton Rouge.
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The Archdiocese of New Orleans' yearslong bankruptcy has officially ended. </p><!-- article/blocks/side-floater -->
Judge Meredith Grabill heard from church leaders, sex abuse survivors, and insurance companies over the course of two weeks and formally approved the $230 million settlement on Monday.
Last week testimony wrapped up with Grabill taking the weekend to come to her final decision on the settlement.
Attorneys for the Archdiocese said money for survivors will be ready before Dec. 31.
Nearly 150 parishes and charities will contribute approximately $65 million to the settlement fund for clergy sex abuse survivors.
The diocese will also pay about $28 million with an interest rate of a little more than 4% over 12 years to bondholders, as well as pay a portion of additional fees.
Payouts will be specific to sex abuse claims and based on a point system.
The accepted plan would pay settlements to an estimated 600 claimants in the case.
The plan settlement proposes the following compensation for sex abuse survivors:
- $130 million in committed cash funding to be paid by the archdiocese and its affiliates into a settlement trust on the effective date of the plan
- A $70 million sale of Christopher Homes. Christopher Homes offers affordable housing and will stay as affordable housing.
- Tredway has reached an agreement to purchase Christopher Homes and maintain the 15 apartment complexes as affordable housing for about 1,700 low-income older adults.
- Approximately $30 million from insurance companies, which have reached settlements to date
- Substantial additional recoveries from abuse litigation against Travelers Insurance Co., which insured the archdiocese during the time period in which many of the abuse claims occurred
- Importantly, unprecedented child protection measures and transparency into the history of abuse in the archdiocese
According to a news release issued by attorneys for the Survivors Committee, the plan also requires the archdiocese and its archbishop to implement new binding child protection protocols.
Those protocols include:
- Overhauls the handling of reports of sexual abuse to notify law enforcement, standards for investigation of claims, documentation of all communications and regular information to the survivor, and removal of the accused perpetrator from ministry
- Provides for outside oversight to ensure compliance with the protocols, including a survivor seat on the Internal Review Board that reviews claims of clergy abuse and an outside child abuse prevention expert to review and monitor all child protection policies and practices
- Adopts a Survivors Bill of Rights that requires that survivors be treated with dignity and respect, provides resources for counseling and other services, and provides survivors with a direct line of communication to the archbishop to complain about mistreatment
- Creates a public archive of thousands of pages of documents related to abuse claims that, up until now, have been kept secret
Sex abuse survivors’ claims will be reviewed before payments are decided.
Once the settlement is over, records associated with abuse claims will be released and housed at LSU in Baton Rouge.
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