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Sunday, October 25, 2026

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Courts · Sunday, October 25, 2026

New York's archbishop says an abuse deal is unsigned

The File desk · Oct. 25, 2026, 6:41 a.m. ET

Partially confirmed1 primary sources

Status

Partially confirmed. Archbishop Ronald Hicks said on Oct. 24, 2026, that an understanding has been reached and that the settlement is not signed. No court order and no dollar figure appear in his message.
  • Partially confirmed
    Hicks says a deal covering claims against the Archdiocese of New York is scheduled to be signed the week of Nov. 6, and is not final until then.
  • Unverified
    A dollar amount and a count of claims are not in his message. This story does not print figures from other accounts.
Archbishop Ronald Hicks told the Archdiocese of New York on Saturday that an agreement to resolve abuse claims is close, and that it is not final until it is signed. He said the signing is scheduled for the week of Nov. 6. His message does not give a dollar figure.1
The message, published by The Good Newsroom, the archdiocese's outlet, says an understanding has been reached with the plaintiffs and their lawyers on claims brought against the archdiocese, its parishes, and affiliated agencies under the . Hicks wrote that the deal is not yet final and will not be until the settlement is signed. He said that signing is now scheduled for the week of Nov. 6.1
Why it matters (Estimate). People who sued over abuse as children have been waiting on a settlement that the church itself now says is agreed in principle and still unsigned. Until the papers are signed, there is no payment and no end to the cases. A figure that has circulated in other reports is not in the archbishop's message, so this story does not treat it as fact.
He said the agreement would let the archdiocese turn back to its work, and that he hopes it brings some healing to people who survived the abuse. A signed settlement, a court approval, and any sum of money are still absent from the message. This desk did not open a survivors' lawyer's statement.
How we know

Notes

  1. 1.Archbishop Ronald Hicks, “Archbishop Hicks Shares Update on Claims,” The Good Newsroom, Oct. 24, 2026. https://thegoodnewsroom.org/archbishop-hicks-shares-update-on-child-victims-act-claims/ “the deal is not yet final – and won't be until the settlement is signed, now scheduled for the week of November 6th.” He says an understanding has been reached with all of the plaintiffs and their attorneys on claims under the against the Archdiocese of New York, parishes, and affiliated agencies. The page does not state a dollar amount or a number of claims. This desk did not open the statute.

What is still unknown or disputed

  • Any dollar amount. Not in the archbishop's message.
  • How many claims are covered. Not in the message.
  • Whether the signing set for the week of Nov. 6 will happen.
  • A court filing that approves a settlement. Not opened.

Primary sources

Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.

  1. Source 1

    Archbishop Hicks Shares Update on Child Victims Act Claims

    The Good Newsroom · October 24, 2026

    Archbishop Hicks says the abuse-claims deal is not final until it is signed, now scheduled for the week of Nov. 6.

    https://thegoodnewsroom.org/archbishop-hicks-shares-update-on-child-victims-act-claims/