On Monday, a federal judge approved a settlement that will see the New Orleans Archdiocese pay at least $230 million to hundreds of victims of clergy sexual abuse, ending a protracted legal battle that began with the archdiocese’s bankruptcy filing in May 2020.
Settlement Reaches Final Stage
The agreement, confirmed by attorney Richard Trahant and an archdiocese spokesperson, represents the culmination of years of negotiation. The settlement will provide compensation to more than 500 abuse claims that have been consolidated under the bankruptcy case.
Survivors Share Their Stories
Earlier this month, several survivors testified in court, describing the lasting impact of the abuse. They spoke of substance‑use struggles, intimacy issues, and the weight of self‑blame. Some said they forgave the church; others could not. In her testimony, Kathleen Austin recalled being abused hundreds of times as a child and watching the perpetrator continue in a role within the Catholic Church even after its leadership knew what he was doing. She expressed skepticism that the church would hold clergy accountable in the future given how much she said it resisted responding to her experiences. “Why has it taken so long to get to this point and at such a high cost?” she asked.
Chris Naquin said his abuse began when he was 4 years old and that he cycled through decades of mental institutions and prisons. “I don’t think I will ever, ever get over it. There’s no amount of money in the world,” he said as he teared up. “I never had a childhood and I’m just now starting my adult life at 56 years old.” Billy Cheramie, who said he felt he died the day he was abused as a little boy, told the archdiocese he forgave it for what he went through. He said God later helped him realize the abuse he suffered was not his fault, thus allowing him to release some of the anger that had propelled him to join the U.S. military to learn how to kill. “Killing did not fix the pain and the memories,” he said. Neil Duhon testified that he still struggles with the idea of forgiveness. “This legal thing will maybe end but what it has done to us, the trauma it has done to us, will not ever end,” he told the court, saying his perpetrator, former priest Lawrence Hecker, received a life sentence after pleading guilty to charges including rape and aggravated kidnapping.
Leadership Response
Archbishop Gregory Aymond, 75, who is handing church leadership to a successor, listened to the survivors’ testimony last week. “I also apologize for the church, that I’m embarrassed by what has happened in the church,” Aymond told reporters afterward. He added he hopes survivors have found some “closure” but said he understood that there is “still a lot of suffering” they are experiencing. Aymond had long resisted calls to resign from survivors who said the church did not take action against credibly accused perpetrators. The accusations of clergy abuse triggered a sweeping FBI probe and a cascading crisis for the Catholic Church, which drew on help from New Orleans Saints executives to help behind the scenes with damage control, an AP investigation revealed.
New Governance Measures
The finalized settlement plan, which received overwhelming approval by survivors during a vote in October, includes policies intended to prevent abuse from occurring in the future. A survivor will have a seat on the archdiocese’s internal review board that handles claims of sexual abuse. An outside expert is to monitor the church’s child‑abuse prevention practices. The church also is adopting a survivors’ bill of rights and survivors will have a direct line of communication to the archbishop to direct complaints of misconduct. And a public archive will be established to share long withheld documents related to abuse claims.
Transition of Leadership
In September, Pope Leo XIV named Bishop James F. Checchio, of the diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey, as coadjutor archbishop of New Orleans in line to succeed Aymond when he retires.
Key Takeaways
- New Orleans Archdiocese will pay at least $230 million to hundreds of clergy‑abuse victims.
- Survivors testified that the abuse continues to affect them decades later.
- The settlement includes new safeguards, a survivor seat on the review board, and a public archive.
The settlement marks a significant step for the New Orleans Archdiocese and its victims, offering financial relief and institutional reforms aimed at preventing future abuse.
