New Jersey Catholic diocese agrees to $180 million settlement of clergy
sexual abuse allegations
[February 19, 2026]
By MIKE CATALINI
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) A New Jersey Catholic diocese this week agreed to a
$180 million settlement to resolve allegations of clergy sexual abuse, a
figure far exceeding agreements in some large dioceses but still dwarfed
by other massive settlements.
Bishop Joseph Williams of the Diocese of Camden, covering southern New
Jersey and its Philadelphia suburbs, announced the settlement Tuesday in
a letter.
For the survivors of South Jersey, this day is long overdue and
represents a milestone in their journey toward restored justice and the
healing and recognition they have long sought and deserve, Williams
said.
Mark Crawford, state director of the Survivors Network for those Abused
by Priests, said in a phone interview Wednesday that the settlement was
long overdue but he was glad the ordeal was coming to an end. He praised
the bishop for listening to survivors and for pledging transparency,
contrasting him with his predecessor, who fought a legal battle over a
state investigation into alleged clergy abuse.
"This settlement and this bishop have acted very differently," Crawford
said. I hope it sends a message that this is possible, that this is
right.
Greg Gianforcaro, one of the attorneys representing victims suing the
diocese, credited survivors' persistence in reaching the agreement. The
diocese has said there about 300 survivors of abuse raising claims.
Its been an extremely long and arduous battle, he said in a phone
interview.
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The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is seen in Camden, N.J.,
April 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
It's the latest agreement in a scandal set off more than two decades
ago when the scale of the abuse and the church's effort to hide it
came to light in Boston. The New Jersey settlement agreement is more
than the roughly $80 million settlements in Boston and Philadelphia,
though settlements in California ranged much higher. In 2024, the
Los Angeles Archdiocese agreed to an $880 million payment.
The Camden settlement comes less than a year after the diocese
withdrew its objection to the state of New Jersey's grand jury
investigation into decades of alleged sexual abuse of children by
religious. The state Supreme Court has since ruled the state's
investigation could move ahead.
The Camden diocese, like others nationwide, filed for bankruptcy
amid a torrent of lawsuits after the statute of limitations was
relaxed.
In 2022, the diocese agreed to pay $87.5 million to settle
allegations involving clergy sex abuse against some 300 accusers,
one of the largest cash settlements involving the Catholic church in
the U.S. The latest settlement announcement includes these funds,
according to victims' attorneys.
The diocese of Camden covers six southern New Jersey counties
outside Philadelphia. The agreement must still be approved by a
bankruptcy court.
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