ALBANY, NY, March 30, 2026 – SNAP decries the paltry amount that the Diocese of Albany proposes as a settlement to hundreds of abuse survivors who had filed lawsuits under the state’s Child Victims Act of 2019. Those who participated in these bankruptcy proceedings have endured years and sometimes decades of therapy only to receive just over $300K as recompense for a lifetime of emotional trauma. 

Although the long-awaited $148 million to survivors is one of the largest settlement payments in the state of New York, it took years of negotiations while many alleged victims were dying before they could see justice or any compensation for the abuse they endured. The delayed settlement appears to be more about erasing accountability instead of acknowledging survivors’ suffering.

Moreover, the process itself is inherently flawed. Allowing churches to hide behind bankruptcy denies survivors the right to have their voices heard in a court of law and demand accountability from their perpetrators as well as the institutions that protected them. These institutions are effectively using bankruptcy laws to avoid legal and financial consequences for ignoring or covering up child sexual abuse.

SNAP urges continued accountability for every clerical official – Catholic or otherwise – whose actions allowed abusers to harm children and vulnerable people.

“When institutions try to absolve themselves of a history of systematically concealing child sexual abuse with dollars, then the process is broken,” said Angela Walker, SNAP Executive Director. “Survivors deserve more to help them rebuild their lives.”

SNAP stands with all survivors of Albany as this process continues to unfold, and we applaud their ongoing courage and resilience.

We urge federal lawmakers to reform bankruptcy legislation so that survivors across the country can get the justice they deserve, Walker said.