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A New Jersey Catholic diocese has agreed to pay $180 million to settle clergy sexual abuse claims involving hundreds of survivors, closing a long and contentious chapter in New Jersey’s reckoning with church abuse.
Bishop Joseph Williams, who serves the Diocese of Camden, announced the agreement in a letter on Tuesday, calling it a long-overdue step for survivors.
“For the survivors of South Jersey, this day is long overdue,” Williams wrote. “It represents a milestone in their journey toward restored justice and the healing and recognition they have long sought and deserve.”
The diocese, which serves six counties in southern New Jersey outside Philadelphia, said about 300 survivors brought claims.
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Attorney Greg Gianforcaro, who represents victims in the case, credited survivors’ persistence in reaching the agreement after years of litigation.
“It’s been an extremely long and arduous battle,” he said, according to The Associated Press.
The $180 million figure surpasses earlier settlements in Boston and Philadelphia, which were around $80 million, but remains smaller than the $880 million agreement reached in 2024 by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
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The Camden diocese filed for bankruptcy after New Jersey relaxed its statute of limitations, triggering a wave of lawsuits. In 2022, the diocese agreed to pay $87.5 million in a previous settlement involving roughly 300 accusers. Victims’ attorneys said the newly announced $180 million total includes those earlier funds.
The agreement must still receive approval from a bankruptcy court.
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The settlement comes as New Jersey’s Supreme Court has cleared the way for a long-delayed state grand jury investigation into decades of alleged abuse by clergy to move forward.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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