Missouri Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

Missouri’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. However, there could be some hope on the horizon for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Several statute of limitations reform bills were recently introduced in the state’s legislature, two of which would open revival windows for expired claims. SOL laws enable lawyers handling sexual abuse claims in Missouri to file cases against sexual predators, including clergy members, and the Catholic Church.

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

Missouri Statute of Limitations for Sexual Abuse & Assault

Missouri 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 could be help on the horizon though, as multiple SOL reform bills were introduced to the state’s Legislature.

Criminal Statute of Limitations Laws for Missouri

In Missouri, there is no criminal SOL for unlawful felony and misdemeanor sex offenses. Child USA, who has evaluated every state based on their criminal statute of limitations laws, gave Missouri a Criminal SOL letter grade of A, on the traditional A-F scale, where A is the best. A letter grade of A is defined as a full elimination of the criminal SOL for all felonies and misdemeanors.

Civil Statute of Limitations Laws for Missouri

In Missouri, the civil SOL for child sex abuse claims is capped at age 31 against the perpetrator and at age 26 for other defendants. There is a 3-year discovery rule for civil actions in Missouri which starts on the date the victim discovers the injury was caused by the abuse. Child USA, who has also evaluated every state based on their civil statute of limitations laws, gave Missouri 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 34 and younger.

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

Missouri Sexual Abuse Settlements

March 1999 – A St. Louis jury awarded $1.2 million to a man who claimed a Catholic priest sexually abused him as a boy and the Archdiocese of St. Louis failed to supervise the priest. The man said Rev. James Gummersbach sexually abused him 35 years ago at the Church of the Immaculate Conception when the victim was only 13 years old.

April 2004 – The Archdiocese of St. Louis agreed to pay $1.675 million to the family of a boy who was molested by Rev. Gary P. Wolken. Wolken admitted to molesting the boy, the son of a family friend, multiple times between 1997 and 2000 when he babysat the boy. The victim was in kindergarten when the abuse began. Wolken was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

August 2004 – The Archdiocese of St. Louis agreed to pay more than $2 million to settle 18 claims of sexual abuse. Michael McGrath, Romano Ferraro, Robert Yim, Alexander R. Anderson, Bryan Kuchar. and late Sister Judith Fischer were all named in the separate lawsuits.

October 2007 – The Marianist Province of the United States, a St. Louis-based Catholic religious order, reached a $160,000 settlement with a man who claimed he was sexually abused by a member of the order. The victim claimed Brother William Mueller abused him when he was a student at St. John Vianney High School. Mueller is also accused of abuse in a number of lawsuits in Colorado.

August 2008 – The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph agreed to pay about $10 million to settle claims with a more than 40 people who said they were sexually abused by clergy from the diocese. The dates of the claims range from the 1950s and into the 1990s. The priests and clerics accused in the lawsuits were retired Wyoming Bishop Joseph Hart, John Tulipana, Thomas J. Ward, Earl Johnson, Stephen Wise, Francis E. McGlynn, Hugh F. Monahan, John C. Baskett, Thomas J. O’Brien, Thomas J. Reardon, James Lawbaugh and Sylvester Hoppe.

May 2013 – The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph agreed to pay $600,000 to settle a claim that Fr. Shawn Ratigan took pornographic pictures of a girl when she was only 2-years-old. Ratigan was found to have taken hundreds of lewd and suggestive photos of children and Bishop Robert Finn was accused of failing to report the priest.

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 Missouri 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.

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

Catholic Dioceses in Missouri 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 Missouri can be added.

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

• Archdiocese of St. Louis Credibly Accused Priest List
• Diocese of Jefferson City Credibly Accused Priest Lis
• Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph Credibly Accused Priest List
• Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau Credibly Accused Priest List

Archdiocese of St. Louis Credibly Accused Priest List

Diocese of Jefferson City Credibly Accused Priest Lis

Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph Credibly Accused Priest List

Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau 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.

Missouri Sexual Abuse Lawsuits: News & Updates