Alabama Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

Alabama’s civil statute of limitations (SOL) laws are less victim friendly in providing survivors of childhood sexual abuse an avenue to justice than many other states around the country. There are also no civil SOL reform bills scheduled to be introduced to the state’s Legislature at this time, meaning sexual abuse survivors will have to wait even longer to potentially receive any justice. SOL laws enable lawyers handling sexual abuse claims in Alabama to file cases against sexual predators, including clergy members, and the Catholic Church.

Below you will find information on Alabama’s statute of limitations laws. These laws are important because they dictate how long a lawyer handling Alabama sexual assault cases has to file a claim on behalf of a survivor. In addition, we’ve compiled a list of Alabama settlements received by sexual abuse and assault survivors and a list of Alabama’s ‘credibly’ accused priests released by Alabama’s Dioceses.

Alabama Statute of Limitations for Sexual Abuse & Assault

Alabama has made little progress in the past decade towards helping survivors of sexual abuse get civil justice. The state’s civil age cap is on the low end of the spectrum when compared to many other states, which means it could be doing much more to help survivors. There also doesn’t appear to be any help on the horizon as there are no civil SOL reform bills scheduled to be introduced to the state’s Legislature.

Criminal Statute of Limitations Laws for Alabama

In Alabama, there is no criminal SOL for rape and felony and misdemeanor sex offenses against victims under the age of 16. The SOL for other felonies is 5 years from the offense and misdemeanors have an SOL of 1 year from the incident. Child USA, who has evaluated every state based on its criminal statute of limitations laws, gave Alabama a Criminal SOL letter grade of B, on the traditional A-F scale, where A is the best. A letter grade of B is defined as elimination of the criminal SOL for some felonies and misdemeanors.

Civil Statute of Limitations Laws for Alabama

In Alabama, the civil SOL for child sex abuse claims is capped at age 25. There is no discovery rule for civil actions in Alabama. Child USA, who has also evaluated every state based on its civil statute of limitations laws, gave Alabama a Civil SOL Age Cap letter grade of F, on the traditional A-F scale, where A is the best. A letter grade of F is defined as a civil SOL age cap age 34 or younger.

If you or someone you love was sexually abused or assaulted in Alabama, contact us now. Due to Alabama’s current laws, those sexually abused as a minor may still have a claim against their abuser, depending on how long ago the abuse occurred. Even if the abuser is deceased, you may still have a claim against the organization responsible.

Go to our main sexual abuse page to learn more about the process of filing a clergy sexual abuse claim.

Alabama Sexual Abuse Settlements

2004 – The Archdiocese of Mobile admitted that 13 members of its clergy had been accused of sexual abuse of children by 18 people. The abuse dated back to the 1950s. The archdiocese reported it paid out roughly $700,000 in settlements and other costs related to these claims.

The settlements listed above are offered for educational purposes only and do not guarantee any future outcome or settlement. Each legal situation is different, and past performance does not guarantee future results. We do not maintain that is a full list of all settlements in the state of Alabama but merely a grouping of those we choose to share on our website. Please contact us if you would like additional settlements included or if you notice any inaccuracies on our site. We strive to provide our viewers the most up to date and accurate information as possible.

Alabama Catholic Dioceses Releases Names of Clergy Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of Children

Catholic Dioceses in Alabama have released the names of priests and clergy members who they deemed to be ‘credibly accused’ of sexual abuse of a child.

The list below will be updated as litigation or investigations are concluded so that new names of credibly accused priests in Alabama can be added.

Use the links below to navigate directly to a particular diocese’s clergy list.

• Archdiocese of Mobile Credibly Accused Priest List
• Diocese of Birmingham Credibly Accused Priest List

Archdiocese of Mobile Credibly Accused Priest List

Diocese of Birmingham Credibly Accused Priest List

Click to view our larger list of accused priests. Here you can search by accused clergy first and last name, Parish/Diocese, city and state, and even by the years of their assignments.

Alabama Sexual Abuse Lawsuits: News & Updates