Camden Diocese $180M Settlement: Payouts, Delays, Claim Status

The Camden Diocese $180 million settlement has no payout date yet. The agreement announced on February 17, 2026 still needs approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, and until that court signs off and the plan’s “effective date” is declared, no money moves from the trust to the more than 300 survivors who filed claims.¹

What Has to Happen Before Payments Begin

Two steps stand between the February announcement and any check reaching a survivor. First, the bankruptcy court must formally approve the revised settlement. As of the announcement, the formal details had not yet been filed with the court, and no approval hearing has been publicly scheduled.¹ The survivors’ committee has unanimously accepted the deal, and the diocese’s finance council and college of consultors have endorsed it, which should smooth the path, but the court still has to rule.²

Second, approval alone doesn’t trigger payments. The plan has to reach its “effective date.” That matters because the earlier $87.5 million reorganization plan, confirmed back in March 2024, was structured to begin payments on the effective date and continue over four to five years. That date was never declared. Insurance disputes and appeals blocked implementation, and no money reached survivors under the 2024 plan.³ The new settlement is designed to clear the obstacles that stalled the last one, but survivors have reason to watch the effective date, not just the approval headline.

Why the Case Has Taken This Long

The Diocese of Camden filed for Chapter 11 on October 1, 2020, and claimants have been waiting ever since.⁴ The proof-of-claim deadline passed on June 30, 2021.⁵ An $87.5 million deal followed in April 2022, and after a confirmation process that stretched past a year, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Jerrold N. Poslusny Jr. confirmed a third modified plan on March 14, 2024, with 99% of voting survivors in favor.

Several insurers refused to participate. They had initially offered only $30 million and appealed the confirmed plan to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing it contained loopholes exposing them to further liability.⁶ Judge Poslusny paused implementation while the appeals were pending. The diocese and the survivors’ committee asked in 2025 to lift the stay, and the Third Circuit appointed Judge Thomas Ambro to mediate. That mediation produced the February 2026 agreement.³

What the $180 Million Covers

The funds will go into a trust benefiting the more than 300 survivors who filed claims by the June 2021 deadline.⁷ The money will come from the diocese, its parishes, and insurers, though the split between the diocese and its carriers has not been publicly disclosed.² Bloomberg Law identified units of Chubb Ltd., Lloyd’s of London, and Allianz SE as the participating insurers.⁸ The agreement also commits the diocese to release the files of all credibly accused clerics and to maintain child protection protocols.⁹

Jeffrey D. Prol of Lowenstein Sandler, counsel to the survivors’ committee, said the $180 million total is a dramatic increase from the $26 million the diocese initially proposed when it filed for reorganization.³ Individual payout amounts under the new settlement have not been publicly announced. Under the previous $87.5 million plan, attorneys for survivors had estimated an average of roughly $290,000 per person.¹⁰

How to Check Your Claim Status

Survivors who filed claims can get case updates through Kroll Restructuring Administration, which is handling claims for the bankruptcy. The case website is cases.ra.kroll.com/camdendiocese. Kroll can also be reached by phone at 877-465-8420 (toll-free) or 347-817-4096 (local). Questions for the survivors’ committee’s legal counsel can go to Lowenstein Sandler at DOCABUSECLAIMS@LOWENSTEIN.COM.¹¹ The claims bar date passed on June 30, 2021, so no new claims can be added at this stage.⁵

1
BishopAccountability.org. Camden Diocese’s Sex Abuse Claims Fund
2
OSV News. Diocese of Camden Reaches Long Overdue $180 Million Abuse Settlement
3
SNAP Network. Camden Diocese Adds $180 Million for Clergy Abuse Survivors in Final Bankruptcy Settlement
4
Courier-Post. Camden Diocese Clergy Sex Abuse Bankruptcy Reorganization Confirmed
5
Kroll Restructuring Administration. The Diocese of Camden, New Jersey – Submit a Claim
6
Insurance Journal. Diocese of Camden and Its Insurers Agree to Pay $180M to Sexual Abuse Survivors
7
6abc Philadelphia. Camden Diocese Announces $180 Million Settlement With Clergy Abuse Survivors
8
Bloomberg Law. Camden Diocese, Insurers Reach $180 Million Deal With Claimants
9
SNAP Network. Camden Diocese Agrees to $180 Million Settlement to Catholic Clergy Abuse Survivors
10
The Boston Pilot. Diocese of Camden Reaches $87.5 Million Settlement
11
Kroll Restructuring Administration. The Diocese of Camden, New Jersey – Case Information