Michigan Clergy Abuse Lawyer

Abuse by a member of the clergy or a trusted figure in a religious community is a profound betrayal, and survivors often carry it for years before they are ready to talk about it. When it happens, the harm rarely stops with one person: religious organizations have at times moved, shielded, or failed to report those who caused harm. Michigan law can allow a survivor to hold both the individual and the institution accountable.

What these matters can involve

• Sexual abuse by a priest, pastor, minister, lay leader, teacher, or volunteer connected to a church or religious organization.
• An organization that knew or should have known of a risk and failed to act — through negligent supervision, hiring, or retention.
• Reassignment of a known abuser, failures to report, or internal handling that kept the abuse quiet.

These are institutional abuse matters at their core: they often turn on what the organization knew, what its records show, and whether it protected people or protected itself.

Michigan's statewide clergy-abuse investigation

Since 2018, the Michigan Attorney General has been conducting a statewide investigation into sexual abuse within Michigan's Catholic dioceses, built on church records seized under search warrants. Six of the seven diocesan reports have now been released — Marquette, Gaylord, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and, in June 2026, Saginaw — with the report on the Archdiocese of Detroit expected to follow. The investigation's tip line remains open, and tips can be submitted anonymously.

For survivors, this matters practically, whatever the setting or denomination: investigations like this show how personnel files, transfer histories, and prior complaints that once stayed sealed inside an institution can come to light — exactly the records that establish what an organization knew, and when.

Where you can report today

• The Michigan Attorney General's clergy-abuse tip line: 844-324-3374 (weekdays 8 a.m.–5 p.m.), with an online form that accepts anonymous submissions.
• If a child may be at risk right now: MDHHS Centralized Intake at 855-444-3911, answered around the clock — and under Michigan law, members of the clergy are themselves mandated reporters of child abuse.
• Confidential support at any hour: Michigan's VOICES4 hotline at 855-864-2374, or the national sexual assault hotline at 800-656-4673.

Reporting to authorities and bringing a civil claim are separate decisions on separate timelines — you can do either, both, or neither. Our guide to Michigan survivor rights and reporting resources explains each path in plain language.

You are in control of how much you share and how quickly. An early, confidential conversation can stay focused on the basics. Reach out when you are ready and we will listen.