Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco Agreed to Bankruptcy Settlement: Abuse Survivors Coalition Reacts

For Immediate Release: June 30, 2026

Yesterday, the Archdiocese of San Francisco agreed to pay $395 million to survivors of clergy sexual abuse to settle its bankruptcy. The Abuse Survivors Coalition (ASC) reacted to that announcement.

Melanie Sakoda, a California Contact for the ASC, was grateful for the settlement. “I know that many of these survivors have been waiting for years to receive restitution for the injuries they suffered as children. While no amount of money can compensate for the life-long injuries sustained, we believe that this proposed settlement is at least a recognition of their suffering.”

The settlement, if approved, will establish a trust to compensate the 530 survivors. In addition, as part of the agreement the Archdiocese will be required to maintain a public list of all accused clergy, the accusations, and the investigation outcomes. The Archdiocese will also provide a publicly available record documenting the Church's knowledge of child sexual abuse accusations and the action taken on those accusations that will be independently managed.

Melanie continued, “While these funds and the accompanying apology letter provide welcome acknowledgement of the harm suffered, the proposed non-monetary concessions are just as important, if not more so. Most survivors come forward because they don’t want to see any more children suffer as they did. We hope the Archdiocese’s promise to provide more 'robust' public disclosure about perpetrators, and the changes to the way that reports of abuse are handled, will help with this goal.”

The 3-year look-back window that revived child sexual abuse claims for survivors where the statute of limitations had expired ran from 1/1/2020 to 12-31-2022. For those  survivors who are part of the San Francisco Archdiocese's bankruptcy, any compensation that those who are represented by counsel receive will be reduced by the monies that they owe to their attorneys. The Archdiocese filed for federal bankruptcy protection in 2023.

The ASC hoped that provisions were in place as part of the settlement for those who were still children when the opportunity to come forward as “creditors” in the bankruptcy expired. One of the downsides of using federal bankruptcy courts in these cases is that boys and girls who were too young to come forward during the proceedings are forever barred from suing for restitution. The group feared that this will discourage these children from speaking out and naming their abusers. Unfortunately, if this information is not shared, future generations of young lives may also be damaged by unknown and dangerous criminals.

The Coalition appreciated that the terms of the agreement will also specify survivors will be released from any non-disclosure agreements that may have been signed earlier, and that none will be required in the future. While California earlier enacted a version of “Trey’s Law” to prohibit such restrictions on survivors, and while the 2002 Dallas Charter also provided similar reassurances, victims cannot be reminded too often that they are free to share their experiences when, and with whom, they want. Speaking out is an important part of each survivor’s healing journey.

The ASC urged anyone who experienced abuse in the Archdiocese of San Francisco to come forward. Do not suffer alone and in silence! Tell trusted family and friends, trained therapists, or groups that provide trauma-informed support, like the ASC. There are people who will believe you and who will support you.

CONTACT: Melanie Sakoda, ASC CA Contact (melanie.sakoda@gmail.com, 925-708-6175), Susan Vance, ASC Operations Team, ASC TN Contact (Susan8324@gmail.com, 865-748-3518)

(The Abuse Survivors Coalition is a survivor-led, peer-run organization dedicated to supporting individuals affected by abuse and to advocating for accountability within institutions where abuse has occurred. ASC is informed by decades of collective experience in survivor support, advocacy, and public education. The organization focuses on facilitating peer support, sharing information about available survivor resources, and engaging in advocacy efforts centered on survivor-led principles. Survivors remain the central priority of the ASC’s work. Our website is: www.ascoalition.org)