LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse dating back decades, in what an attorney said was the largest single child sex abuse settlement with a Catholic archdiocese, it was announced Wednesday.
After the announcement of the agreement in principle, Archbishop José H. Gomez said in a statement, "I am sorry for every one of these incidents, from the bottom of my heart.”
“My hope is that this settlement will provide some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered,” the archbishop added. “I believe that we have come to a resolution of these claims that will provide just compensation to the survivor-victims of these past abuses.”
Attorneys for 1,353 people who allege that they suffered horrific abuse at the hands of local Catholic priests reached the settlement after months of negotiations with the archdiocese, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The agreement caps a quarter-century of litigation against the most populous archdiocese in the United States.
Attorneys in the Plaintiffs’ Liaison Committee said in a joint statement, “While there is no amount of money that can replace what was taken from these 1,353 brave individuals who have suffered in silence for decades, there is justice in accountability.”
Under the settlement, the plaintiffs will engage in a process— that will not involve the archdiocese — to allocate the settlement amount among the participants.
The archdiocese has previously paid $740 million to victims in various settlements and had pledged to better protect its church members, so this settlement would put the total payout at more than $1.5 billion, the Times said.
Attorney Morgan Stewart, who led the negotiations, said in a statement that the settlement is the largest single child sex abuse settlement with a Catholic archdiocese.
“These survivors have suffered for decades in the aftermath of the abuse. Dozens of the survivors have died. They are aging, and many of those with knowledge of the abuse within the church are too. It was time to get this resolved,” Stewart told the Times.
The settlement will be funded by archdiocese investments, accumulated reserves, bank financing, and other assets. According to the archdiocese, certain religious orders and others named in the litigation will also cover some of the cost of the settlement, the Times said.
FILE - People attend a memorial service outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in Los Angeles, Jan. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,File)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Former One Direction singer Liam Payne, 31, whose chart-topping British boy band generated a global following of swooning fans, was found dead Wednesday after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, local officials said.
Buenos Aires police said in a statement that Payne fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in the trendy Palermo neighborhood of Argentina's capital, resulting in “extremely serious injuries.” Medics confirmed his death on the spot, the statement said.
Pablo Policicchio, the communications director for the Buenos Aires Security Ministry, said in a statement to The Associated Press that Payne “had jumped from the balcony of his room.” Police rushed to the hotel in response to an emergency call just after 5 p.m. local time, he said, warning of an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
The hotel manager can be heard on a 911 call obtained by the AP saying they had "a guest who is overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol ... He’s destroying the entire room and, well, we need you to send someone, please.” The manager's voice became more anxious as the call went on, noting the room had a balcony.
Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, told Argentina’s Todo Noticias TV channel that authorities were investigating the circumstances of his death and conducting an autopsy.
Payne had been vocal about struggling with alcoholism, posting a video in July 2023 to his YouTube channel where he said he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment. Representatives for Payne did not immediately return emails and calls.
Dozens of One Direction fans flocked from across Buenos Aires to the Casa Sur Hotel after the news broke, forming lines that spilled into the cordoned-off street outside the hotel where police stood sentinel. Forensic investigators were seen exiting the hotel, from where Payne’s body was removed around three hours after the fall. Young women filming with their cellphones expressed shock and heartbreak as a makeshift memorial with rows of candles and bouquets quickly grew outside the hotel.
“I didn’t think he was going to die so young,” 21-year-old Isabella Milesi told the AP.
Payne was one of five members of One Direction, which formed when they each auditioned for the British singing competition series “The X Factor” in 2010, two years after Payne's first attempt to get on the show. At 16 the second time around, Payne sang Michael Bublé’s version of “Cry Me a River,” appearing nervous at the start but warming up with the audience’s cheers and applause.
After each singer failed to make it through the competition as solo acts, Simon Cowell and his fellow judges combined Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson into what would become one of the most successful boy bands — even though they lost the competition.
Each member had their own persona, with Payne — who hailed from Wolverhampton, a city in the West Midlands region of England — being known as the responsible one. The band became known for their pop sound and romantic hits like “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Night Changes” and “Story of My Life.” Payne had prominent solos on songs including “Stole My Heart” and “Change Your Ticket,” co-writing several of the band's hits. They had six Top 10 hits on the Billboard charts by the time they disbanded in 2016 and a highly loyal fan base, known as “Directioners,” many of whom were teen girls.
“I’ve always loved One Direction since I was little,” said 18-year-old Juana Relh, another fan outside Payne’s hotel. “To see that he died and that there will never be another reunion of the boys is unbelievable, it kills me.”
With his meteoric rise to fame, Payne had said that it took some time to adjust to the public eye.
“I don’t think you can ever deal with that, it’s all a bit crazy for us to see that people get in that sort of state of mind about us and what we do,” he said in a 2013 interview with the AP after recounting an experience where a fan was in a state of shock upon meeting him.
After the group's dissolution, Payne — like each of his erstwhile bandmates — pursued a solo career, shifting toward EDM and hip-hop. His 2017 single “Strip That Down,” featuring Quavo, reached the Billboard Top 10, and stayed on the charts for several months. He put out an album “LP1” in 2019, and his last release — a single called “Teardrops” — was released in March.
Payne had a 7-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, with his former girlfriend, the musician Cheryl who was known as Cheryl Cole when she performed with Girls Aloud. She was an “X Factor” judge during One Direction's season, although their relationship began years later. Payne was previously engaged to Maya Henry, from August 2020 to early 2022. Henry released a novel earlier this year that she said was based on their relationship.
In addition to his son, he is survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
Huamani reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists Natacha Pisarenko and Debora Rey contributed reporting from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
FILE - One Direction members, from right, Liam Payne and Harry Styles perform on ABC's "Good Morning America" at Rumsey Playfield/SummerStage on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
Fans light candles outside the hotel where former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after he fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Fans light candles outside the hotel where former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after he fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
FILE - Liam Payne of One Direction (1D) performs in concert at MetLife stadium Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015, in East Rutherford, N.J. (Photo by Robert Altman/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Liam Payne performs during the first day of BBC Radio 1's Biggest Weekend at Singleton Park, in Swansea, Wales, May 26, 2018. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP, File)
FILE - Liam Payne arrives for the world premiere of "Ron's Gone Wrong," at the Royal Festival Hall in London, during the BFI London Film Festival, Oct. 9, 2021. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP, File)
FILE - One Direction's Niall Horan, from left, Harry Styles , Simon Cowell, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne present the Music Industry Trust Award to Simon Cowell at the Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS) in aid of charities Nordon Robbins and Brit Trust at the Grosvenor House Hotel, in London, Nov. 2, 2015. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP)
FILE - Liam Payne and Cheryl attend the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena, in London, on Feb. 21, 2018. (Ian West/PA via AP, File)
Forensic investigators exit the hotel where former One Direction singer Liam Payne, was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
People embrace outside the hotel where former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after he fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
An ambulance carrying the body former One Direction singer Liam Payne leaves the hotel where he was found dead after he fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
FILE - Liam Payne arrives for the premiere of "The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader," at the Odeon Leicester Square, in London, Nov. 30, 2010. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)
FILE - One Direction's Zayn Malik, from left, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles pictured during an interview on Capital Breakfast with Dave Berry and Lisa Snowdon, in their studios in Leicester Square, in London, on Friday, Oct. 5, 2012. (Yui Mok/PA via AP, File)
FILE - One Direction's Liam Payne, from left, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles pose backstage at the Capital FM Summertime Ball held at Wembley Stadium, in London, on June 6, 2015. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP, File)
FILE - Louis Tomlinson, from left, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Harry Styles and Liam Payne arrive for the World Premiere of "One Direction: This Is Us," at the Empire Leicester Square, in London, Aug. 20, 2013. (Ian West/PA via AP, File)
FILE - Liam Payne performs onstage during day one of Capital's Jingle Bell Ball with Coca-Cola at London's O2 Arena, on Dec. 8, 2018. (Ian West/PA via AP, File)
A forensic investigator exits the hotel where English musician Liam Payne, a former member of the band One Direction, was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Police cordon off a hotel where English musician Liam Payne, a former member of the band One Direction, was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
FILE - One Direction members, from left, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Liam Payne perform on NBC's "Today" show, Nov. 13, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Singer Liam Payne poses for photographers upon arrival at the Global Gift Gala in London, March 7, 2019. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Liam Payne, of musical group One Direction, performs at Nickelodeon's 25th annual Kids' Choice Awards, March 31, 2012, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
Police stand guard outside a hotel where Liam Payne, a former member of the band One Direction, was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Police gather outside a hotel where Liam Payne, a former member of the band One Direction, was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
FILE - Liam Payne poses for photographers upon arrival at the British Fashion Awards in London, Dec. 5, 2022. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Liam Payne poses for photographers upon arriving at the premiere of the film 'All of Those Voices' in London, March 16, 2023. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - One Direction's Liam Payne, second from right, poses for a photo with fellow band members Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Liam Tomlinson at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in London, Sept. 6, 2011. (AP Photo/Jonathan Short, File)
FILE - Liam Payne of One Direction performs during the Honda Civic Tour at Qualcomm Stadium on Thursday, July 9, 2015, in San Diego, Calif. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File)
