Michigan Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

Michigan’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. Unfortunately, no bills regarding any type of SOL reform were proposed in the state’s legislature this year either. SOL laws enable lawyers handling sexual abuse claims in Michigan to file cases against sexual predators, including clergy members, and the Catholic Church.

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

Michigan Statute of Limitations for Sexual Abuse & Assault

Michigan 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 lower 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 plans in the near future to open any sort of revival window for time-barred claims of church sex abuse survivors as no bills proposing SOL reform have been introduced in the state’s legislature.

Criminal Statute of Limitations Laws for Michigan

In Michigan, there is no criminal SOL for 1st degree criminal sexual conduct and trafficking punishable by life in prison. For 2nd and 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct the criminal SOL is age 28 or 15 years from DNA identification. The SOL for other felonies is age 21 or 10 years after DNA identification. Child USA, who has evaluated every state based on their criminal statute of limitations laws, gave Michigan a Criminal SOL letter grade of C, on the traditional A-F scale, where A is the best. A letter grade of C is defined as an elimination of the criminal SOL for some/all felonies only.

Civil Statute of Limitations Laws for Michigan

In Michigan, the civil SOL for child sex abuse claims is capped at age 28. However, this age cap is not retroactive and since the law was passed in 2018, it only applies to survivors whose abuse occurred after 2018. There is a 3-year discovery rule for civil actions in Michigan which starts on the date the victim discovers, or should have discovered, the causal relationship between the injury and the criminal sexual conduct. Child USA, who has also evaluated every state based on their civil statute of limitations laws, gave Michigan 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 of age 34 and younger.

If you or someone you love was sexually abused or assaulted in Michigan, contact us now. Due to Michigan’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.

Michigan Sexual Abuse Settlements

August 2010 – The Diocese of Lansing agreed to pay $225,000 to settle claims with a man who said he was abused in the 1950s by a priest when he lived at the St. Vincent children’s home. The settlement was paid by an insurance policy. The man named Rev. John Martin as his abuser. Martin died in 1968.

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 Michigan 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.

Michigan Catholic Dioceses Release Names of Clergy Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of Children

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

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

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

• Archdiocese of Detroit Credibly Accused Priest List
• Diocese of Gaylord Credibly Accused Priest List
• Diocese of Lansing Credibly Accused Priest List
• Diocese of Marquette Credibly Accused Priest List
• Diocese of Saginaw Credibly Accused Priest List

Archdiocese of Detroit Credibly Accused Priest List

Diocese of Gaylord Credibly Accused Priest List

Diocese of Lansing Credibly Accused Priest List

Diocese of Marquette Credibly Accused Priest List

Diocese of Saginaw 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.

Michigan Sexual Abuse Lawsuits: News & Updates