EXCLUSIVE: San Francisco Catholic Church Makes $395Million Settlement With Abuse Survivors
San Francisco Diocese reached a $395 million settlement with abuse survivors after claims.
Aug. 7 2026, Published 5:00 a.m. ET
The Catholic Church reached a jaw-dropping settlement with hundreds of survivors who accused the organization of childhood s-xual abuse and will cough up a whopping $395million to compensate more than 500 individuals, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The historic settlement between the Archdiocese of San Francisco and its accusers is the largest ever between the church and survivors of s-x abuse, who have called the deal a turning point after decades of silence and years of advocacy.
Survivors Secure Major Victory
Margie O'Driscoll called the Archdiocese of San Francisco's $395 million settlement a turning point for survivors.
"Today's shame is going to change sides. This acknowledges the systemic denials and cover-ups by the Archdiocese of San Francisco," said survivor Margie O'Driscoll.
O'Driscoll has served as cochair of the survivors committee, a group of nine who represented accusers in talks with the archdiocese.
Brigid Crotty said: "When [the priest] abused me, he would always say you are a bad girl, and if you tell anyone, everyone will know that you are a bad girl."
While the Catholic Church as a whole has publicly released 6,770 names of credibly accused clergy, the Archdiocese of San Francisco is one of 13 U.S. dioceses that had not disclosed such a list.
But that is due to change with the newly brokered agreement, which requires the California district to reveal suspected offenders.
Church Agrees to Sweeping Safeguards
The Archdiocese of San Francisco agreed to disclose suspected offenders under the settlement.
Additionally, the settlement mandates the archdiocese put in place 14 changes intended to protect children – including enhanced screening for church personnel and a ban on private conversations between kids and priests.
The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2023 after hundreds of lawsuits were lodged against it by alleged s-xual abuse victims – and lawyers repping survivors say the agreed-upon safeguards will be enforced via the bankruptcy court system.
Archbishop Offers Public Apology
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone apologized to survivors in a letter addressing the abuse scandal.
In a letter addressing the scandal, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone wrote: "I sincerely apologize to all those who have suffered."
But not everyone believes that the agreement goes far enough.
Critic Tim Stier, a former priest who has called out the need for structural reform, declared, "I don't think it will change as much as it needs to until the clerical system that runs the culture that runs the Catholic Church is demolished."
