Priest sexual abuse in Michigan is a deep problem that affects adult survivors, their families, their parishes and the broader Catholic community in the state of Michigan. Priest sexual abuse broke a sacred trust and led to decades of (often silent) suffering. New legislation in Michigan has given clergy sexual abuse survivors new rights eliminating the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse.
Now, survivors of priest sexual abuse in Michigan can finally seek justice and much-deserved compensation in a court of law. Supported by loved ones, many survivors are taking the brave and healing step of reporting their experience of child sexual abuse at the hands of a priest, bishop, or other Catholic clergy member for the first time, sometimes many decades after the events took place.
Leading up to the elimination of the state of limitations for child sexual abuse in Michigan, the Michigan Attorney General's office has been engaged in a multi-year investigation to unearth the long and deep history of priest and clergy sexual abuse in Michigan. To date, more than 450 Catholic clergy members in Michigan have been accused of inflicting sex abuse on children and youth. Over 800 survivors have come forward to report incidents of priest sexual abuse from their childhoods. Many bishops, priests, and other clergy members have been accused of multiple acts of sexual abuse, and a long history of coverup on the part of Michigan dioceses has been unearthed. To avoid scandal, priests accused of child sexual abuse were often shuffled to a new parish, diocese or state–where they went on to inflict more harm. To date, eleven clergy members have been convicted of priest sex abuse in Michigan.
No matter when the abuse occurred, you can now file a Michigan priest sexual abuse lawsuit. The Michigan Statute of Limitations on sexual abuse has been eliminated.
When California passed similar legislation in 2002, Catholic dioceses there paid $1.2 billion in priest sex abuse settlements. Similar payouts have followed in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, after those states expanded the rights of survivors to report priest sexual abuse dating back decades. Damages may include past and future medical expenses related to the abuse (including mental health needs), emotional suffering, and punitive damages.
Deciding to report priest sexual abuse is a very personal choice and the wishes of the survivor always come first. As experienced personal injury attorneys, our Michigan priest sexual abuse lawyers have worked with countless families through the most difficult time in their lives. If you are a survivor of priest sexual abuse, we want you to know that what happened to you was not your fault. It is our mission to seek justice on behalf of you and others like you, and to help you access the compensation you need and deserve.
Some survivors say that filing a claim for clergy sexual abuse can help in your healing process. Filing a Michigan Catholic clergy sexual abuse lawsuit also sends a strong message that this type of behavior is not tolerated in Michigan any longer.