Key facts
- Survivors of sexual abuse in the New Orleans Catholic archdiocese are receiving settlement payout figures.
- The maximum individual payout under the settlement is approximately $641,000.
- The settlement resolves a bankruptcy protection case initiated in 2020.
- A points system, with rape equating to 75 points, determines individual compensation.
- Survivors must pay $1,000 to appeal their point allocations.
Survivors of child rape and sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans have expressed anger and shock upon learning the individual payout amounts under a recently approved settlement. The settlement, which resolves a years-long bankruptcy protection case initiated in 2020, allocates a maximum of approximately $641,000 per survivor, a figure many find insultingly low.
These amounts were communicated in letters sent to hundreds of clergy abuse survivors participating in the bankruptcy. The figures are substantially below a $2.4 million jury verdict awarded to an unrelated claimant in June 2025 and also fall short of out-of-court settlements reached by some survivors with Catholic institutions not involved in the bankruptcy.
Survivors describe the situation as a "farce" and a source of deep hurt. The overall settlement totals $305 million, agreed upon by the archdiocese and its insurers. Compensation is determined by a zero- to 100-point system, where rape is assigned 75 points, oral or digital abuse 56 points, and grooming behavior five points. Each allocated point is valued at approximately $6,414.26.
Aaron Hebert, who was abused by a convicted priest, received 56 points, equating to an estimated $359,198. Richard Coon, who testified to being molested by three men linked to the archdiocese, was allocated 98 points and expressed surprise at not receiving the maximum. Both Hebert and Coon, along with another claimant, Brian Manix, voiced frustration that the allocation letters did not break down how claims evaluator Richard Arsenault arrived at their specific point totals.
More than 800 abuse claims received points allocations, with over 100 scoring zero, often for claims involving predators or entities not affiliated with the archdiocese. Approximately $56 million is being held back for potential appeals, with any remaining funds to be redistributed to survivors. However, survivors challenging their allocations must pay a $1,000 fee out of pocket, a protocol that has drawn criticism.
Attorneys representing many of the claimants, including Richard Trahant, plan to appeal the points and dollar amounts, deeming the reconsideration fee "obnoxious." Survivors like Coon feel the bankruptcy court was the wrong venue for fair compensation, asserting that "the bankruptcy was all about protecting the church."