Minnesota Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

Minnesota’s civil statute of limitations (SOL) laws are more friendly in providing survivors of childhood sexual abuse an avenue to justice than many other states around the country. While the state did eliminate the civil age cap for sex abuse claims in 2013, the law is not retroactive which means it does not apply to claims prior to that year. SOL laws enable lawyers handling sexual abuse claims in Minnesota to file cases against sexual predators, including clergy members, and the Catholic Church.

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

Minnesota Statute of Limitations for Sexual Abuse & Assault

Minnesota has made decent progress in the past decade towards helping survivors of sexual abuse get civil justice. The state’s civil age cap was eliminated in 2013 and a 3-year revival window was opened at that time. While that revival window has since closed, a bill was introduced to the state’s Legislature which would open a 5-year revival window for sexual abuse claims against a peace officer.

Criminal Statute of Limitations Laws for Minnesota

In Minnesota, there is no criminal SOL for criminal sexual conduct and sex trafficking. For felonies and misdemeanors, the criminal SOL is 3 years from the crime. Child USA, who has evaluated every state based on their criminal statute of limitations laws, gave Minnesota 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 a full elimination of the criminal SOL for some/all felonies only.

Civil Statute of Limitations Laws for Minnesota

In Minnesota, there is no civil SOL for child sex abuse claims that occurred after 2013. The state did open a revival window in 2013, but that window closed in 2016. Child USA, who has also evaluated every state based on their civil statute of limitations laws, gave Minnesota a Civil SOL Age Cap letter grade of A, on the traditional A-F scale, where A is the best. A letter grade of A is defined as no civil SOL age cap or elimination of the civil SOL.

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

Minnesota Sexual Abuse Settlements

June 2018 – The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis reached a $210 million settlement agreement with 450 victims of clergy sexual abuse. The agreement came after nearly four years of bankruptcy proceedings and negotiations. Archbishop Bernard Hebda apologized to the victims for the church letting them down.

March 2020 – A bankruptcy judge approved a $34 million settlement between the Diocese of new Ulm and roughly 100 people who claimed they were sexually abused by diocese clergy. During the hearing, Bishop John LeVoir apologized to sexual abuse survivors. Most of the money for the settlement will come from insurance policies. The diocese said it would release the names of the priests credibly accused of sexual abuse.

May 2020 – The Diocese of Saint Cloud agreed to a settlement of $22.5 million with 70 people who said they were sexually abused by diocese clergy. The diocese will also file for bankruptcy protection. In some claims, the abuse went as far back as the 1950s.

February 2021 – The Diocese of Winona-Rochester reached a $21.5 million settlement with 145 people who claimed they were sexually abused by diocese clergy. The diocese had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to the amount of pending child sexual abuse claims against it. The diocese is the last one in the state to settle the abuse claims against it.

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 Minnesota 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.

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

Catholic Dioceses in Minnesota 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 Minnesota can be added.

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

• Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Credibly Accused Priest List
• Diocese of Crookston Credibly Accused Priest List
• Diocese of Duluth Credibly Accused Priest List
• Diocese of New Ulm Credibly Accused Priest List
• Diocese of Saint Cloud Credibly Accused Priest List
• Diocese of Winona-Rochester Credibly Accused Priest List

Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Credibly Accused Priest List

Diocese of Crookston Credibly Accused Priest List

Diocese of Duluth Credibly Accused Priest List

Diocese of New Ulm Credibly Accused Priest List

Diocese of Saint Cloud Credibly Accused Priest List

Diocese of Winona-Rochester 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.

Minnesota Sexual Abuse Lawsuits: News & Updates