The release of the Michigan Attorney General’s report detailing decades of alleged sexual abuse and misconduct within the Diocese of Grand Rapids is a stark reminder. It shows how institutions have failed some of the most vulnerable among us. The report identifies 51 priests connected to allegations spanning back to 1950. It is part of a larger investigation into clergy abuse across multiple dioceses in Michigan. This investigation began with search warrants in 2018. It has involved hundreds of tips, victim interviews, law enforcement work, and seized documents.
For survivors who have long carried their trauma in silence, this kind of transparency matters. Agency reports like this do more than document allegations; they validate lived experience.
They say, your story exists.
We see it.
It matters.
When powerful institutions look the other way, the harm doesn’t disappear; it grows roots. Acknowledging the truth is the first step toward healing, accountability, and real change.
What the report reveals
The attorney general’s report names 51 priests who have been alleged to engage in sexual misconduct, including abuse and grooming of minors. It also includes misconduct involving adults. Of those named, 38 were ordained or otherwise served in the Diocese of Grand Rapids. The time frame of these allegations stretches over 75 years. It reflects decades in which abuse was not consistently reported, investigated, or addressed publicly.
But the report also underscores a painful reality: many of the allegations cannot be prosecuted criminally. Statutes of limitation have expired in numerous cases. Some accused priests are deceased, and in others, a victim chose not to pursue criminal charges. These barriers to prosecution are not indicators that abuse didn’t occur. They reflect how legal systems often fail survivors of sexual abuse. Circumstances like time limits, evidentiary hurdles, and institutional resistance can all stand in the way of justice. This is true even when harm is undeniable.
Why transparency still matters
Even without criminal charges, transparency plays an essential role in accountability and survivor empowerment. When governments and institutions release reports like this, the public gains a fuller understanding of how pervasive abuse was. In too many cases, it was hidden. Without transparency, survivors are forced to carry their trauma alone. Communities remain unaware of the depth of harm inflicted behind closed doors.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has emphasized that accountability extends beyond criminal courts. Naming names, documenting allegations, and making information accessible to the public can help survivors feel acknowledged. These actions can spur institutions to reckon with their past.
What survivors need to know
If you or someone you love has experienced clergy abuse or sexual misconduct, you are not alone. Resources exist to support you, to listen, and to help you navigate legal options. Reporting abuse to law enforcement or the attorney general’s hotline ensures that claims are on the record. They can be reflected in public accountability measures. You deserve to be heard and to see systems respond to your courage with more than silence and delay.
In Michigan, calling the attorney general’s tip line at 844-324-3374 is one way to share your experience. Other support services, including counseling and victim advocacy networks, can help connect survivors with care, community, and healing options.
Institutional responsibility and community change
Holding institutions responsible does not stop at naming past harms. True accountability requires structural change. That means revisiting policies that allowed abuse to be concealed. It involves pushing for statutory reforms that remove outdated barriers to justice. Additionally, it insists that organizations adopt and enforce strong child protection measures that genuinely prioritize safety over reputation.
Lawyers, advocates, and community members must work together to support survivors not only in telling their stories but also in pursuing meaningful redress.
Michigan’s Statute of Limitations for Survivors of Sexual Abuse
In Michigan, the statute of limitations depends on whether a survivor is pursuing criminal charges or a civil lawsuit. These deadlines often prevent accountability, even when abuse is well documented.
For criminal cases, Michigan law allows prosecutors to bring charges for first-degree criminal sexual conduct at any time; there is no statute of limitations for the most serious sexual offenses. However, for other degrees of criminal sexual conduct involving child victims, prosecutors generally must file charges within 15 years of the offense or by the survivor’s 28th birthday, whichever is later. These limits mean many survivors are legally barred from criminal prosecution simply because too much time has passed.
For civil lawsuits, which allow survivors to seek accountability and financial damages from perpetrators and institutions, Michigan currently requires survivors of childhood sexual abuse to file claims by their 28th birthday. Once that deadline passes, survivors are typically denied access to the civil justice system, regardless of when they were able to process the trauma or come forward.
While publicly naming abusive priests is an important step toward truth and accountability, exposure alone does not deliver justice. Without meaningful statute of limitations reform, many survivors remain legally barred from pursuing civil claims or holding institutions accountable for the harm they enabled. Transparency matters, but justice requires access to the courts. Until lawmakers remove outdated legal barriers, survivors will continue to be acknowledged in reports yet denied the opportunity to seek real accountability, healing, and redress.
Listening matters
When survivors speak up, they disrupt silence. When reports like this are released, they break down walls of secrecy that have shielded abusers and institutions alike. The pain of abuse doesn’t disappear with time, and justice delayed is justice denied. But transparency, accountability, and community support can offer survivors the acknowledgment they deserve.
As advocates and as lawyers, we stand with survivors who refuse to be invisible. Your story matters, your healing matters, and your pursuit of justice is worthy of unwavering support. If clergy abuse or misconduct has touched your life, Andreozzi + Foote is here to help you understand your legal options. We aim to guide you through the path toward accountability.
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