Wyoming Sexual Abuse Lawsuits
Wyoming’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 Wyoming to file cases against sexual predators, including clergy members, and the Catholic Church.
Below you will find information on Wyoming’s statute of limitations laws. These laws are important because they dictate how long a lawyer handling Wyoming sexual assault cases has to file a claim on behalf of a survivor. In addition, we’ve compiled a list of Wyoming settlements received by sexual abuse and assault survivors and a list of Wyoming’s ‘credibly’ accused priests released by Wyoming’s Dioceses.
Wyoming Statute of Limitation for Sexual Abuse & Assault
Wyoming 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 help on the horizon as there are no civil SOL reform bills scheduled to be introduced to the state’s Legislature.
Criminal Statute of Limitation Laws for Wyoming
In Wyoming, there is no criminal SOL for child sex abuse felonies or misdemeanors. Child USA, who has evaluated every state based on its criminal statute of limitations laws, gave Wyoming 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 Limitation Laws for Wyoming
In Wyoming, the civil SOL for child sex abuse claims is capped at age 26. There is a three-year discovery rule for civil actions in Wyoming which only applies when the victim “discovered or in the exercise of reasonable diligence should have discovered” a secondary injury resulting from the abuse. Child USA, who has also evaluated every state based on its civil statute of limitations laws, gave Wyoming 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 and younger.
If you or someone you love was sexually abused or assaulted in Wyoming, contact us now. Due to Wyoming’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.
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Go to our main sexual abuse page to learn more about the process of filing a clergy sexual abuse claim.
Wyoming Sexual Abuse Settlements
August 2008 – Three men who claimed they were sexually abused by former Wyoming Bishop Joseph Hart while he was a priest at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City and St. Joseph agreed to settle their claims, along with 44 other victims, with that diocese for $10 million. One of the victims said he would give all of the money back if he could make it so the abuse never happened. Hart denied all the charges against him.
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 Wyoming 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.
Wyoming Catholic Diocese Releases Names of Clergy Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of Children
On December 11, 2020, the Diocese of Cheyenne 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 Wyoming can be added.
Diocese of Cheyenne 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.