Written by Collin Melancon, personal injury attorney at Mansfield Melancon Injury Lawyers.
A former youth pastor is back in the news, and not for anything First Baptist Church of Folsom wants attached to its name. David Mercer, 72, is being held at the Bossier Parish Maximum Security Correctional Facility on a $2.5 million bond, charged with molestation of a juvenile tied to allegations from the 1990s. St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s deputies arrested him after executing a search warrant at a home owned by the church.
If a name, a church, or a decade from your own past just resurfaced because of this story, here’s what matters most: Louisiana no longer puts a deadline on filing a civil claim for childhood sexual abuse. It doesn’t matter if it happened in the 1990s or last year. You may still be able to hold both the person who hurt you and the institution that looked the other way accountable — separate from whatever happens in Mercer’s criminal case.
What Happened in the David Mercer Case
Mercer served as youth pastor at First Baptist Church of Folsom, a small Washington Parish community near Louisiana’s north shore. He was arrested after St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at a home the church owns, then booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center and released the next day. Jail records later showed a second arrest — this one landing him at the Bossier Parish Maximum Security Correctional Facility on a $2.5 million bond. A Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson confirmed Mercer is in custody but said the agency can’t discuss specifics while the investigation is open.
None of this is a conviction. Mercer is presumed innocent unless a court says otherwise. But cases like this one show exactly why a criminal charge and a civil claim don’t have to move together. Survivors don’t need to wait on a prosecutor’s timeline to pursue their own.
Why an Old Allegation Can Still Lead to a Civil Claim Today
Most personal injury claims in Louisiana come with a clock. Car accidents and slip and falls usually give you two years to file. Childhood sexual abuse isn’t governed by that rule anymore.
In 2021, Louisiana lawmakers passed Act 322, rewriting La. R.S. § 9:2800.9. That law did away with the civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse. If you were under 18 when it happened, there’s no deadline — not five years, not fifty. Lawmakers also opened a lookback window, later extended through Senate Bill 246, for survivors whose claims might have already been time-barred under the old rules.
The allegations against Mercer reach back to the 1990s. Under the law as it stood even a few years ago, a claim that old might have been out of reach. Today, it isn’t automatically.
Louisiana’s Clergy Abuse Lookback Window: What It Means for You
The Window Closes June 14, 2027
The lookback window won’t stay open forever. Survivors whose claims would otherwise be time-barred have until June 14, 2027 to file, regardless of how long ago the abuse happened or which institution was involved. If someone told you years ago that your window had closed, it’s worth asking again. The law has shifted more than once since then.
It’s Not Just the Catholic Church
Most of the clergy abuse coverage coming out of Louisiana centers on the Catholic Church — the Archdiocese of New Orleans bankruptcy alone has kept the topic in headlines for years. But the statute itself doesn’t single out one denomination. First Baptist Church of Folsom is a Baptist congregation, and the same law applies to it. Youth pastors, camp counselors, Sunday school teachers, and anyone else given authority over children can create liability for themselves — and for the organization that put them in that position.
A Civil Claim Is Separate from the Criminal Case
Mercer’s criminal case will move at whatever pace the Bossier Parish investigation allows, and right now, investigators aren’t saying much. A civil claim doesn’t have to wait on that timeline. The two proceedings exist for different reasons: the criminal case is about punishment, and the state brings it. A civil claim is about compensation, and you bring it.
You don’t need an indictment, a conviction, or even an arrest to pursue a civil claim. You need evidence that abuse happened and that a person or institution bears responsibility for it. Some survivors pursue both tracks at once. Others stick to the civil claim alone. That choice belongs to you.
What Compensation Survivors May Recover
Every case is different, and no attorney can promise a specific result. Still, Louisiana clergy and institutional abuse claims have recovered compensation for:
- Therapy and counseling, both past costs and future treatment
- Pain and suffering connected to the abuse and the years that followed
- Loss of consortium and its effect on personal relationships
- Lost wages or reduced earning capacity where abuse disrupted a survivor’s education or career
- Other damages specific to your circumstances
When an institution knew about misconduct and failed to act — through a transfer, a quiet settlement, or plain silence — that failure can become part of the claim against it, separate from whatever claim exists against the individual.
FAQ: Your Questions About Clergy Abuse Claims in Louisiana
Can I file a claim if the abuse happened decades ago?
In most cases, yes. Louisiana eliminated the civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse in 2021, and the current lookback window revives claims that were previously time-barred. That includes abuse from decades ago. An attorney can review your specific timeline and tell you exactly how the law applies to your situation.
Does the lookback window apply to abuse by a youth pastor, not just Catholic clergy?
Yes. The law applies to childhood sexual abuse by anyone in a position of trust, regardless of denomination or organization. Baptist churches, youth ministries, schools, camps, and other institutions are covered the same way Catholic dioceses are. What matters is the abuse and the institution’s role, not the name on the building.
Can I file a civil claim while the criminal investigation is still open?
Yes. A civil claim and a criminal case run on separate tracks, with different standards of proof and different goals. You don’t need to wait for an arrest, a formal charge, or a conviction before pursuing compensation. Many survivors move forward with a civil claim long before any criminal case concludes.
What compensation can survivors recover?
Depending on your case, you may be able to recover compensation for therapy and counseling, pain and suffering, lost wages, and the broader impact on your relationships and daily life. No attorney can guarantee a specific outcome, but an honest case evaluation can show you what’s realistic for your situation.
What does it cost to hire a clergy abuse lawyer?
Nothing upfront. Clergy abuse cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, so you pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation for you. Your first consultation is free and confidential, and there’s no obligation to move forward afterward.
Talk to a Louisiana Clergy Abuse Lawyer Today
The window Louisiana opened for survivors doesn’t stay open forever, and it doesn’t wait on a criminal case to wrap up. If this story brought back a name, a church, or a year you’d rather not think about, that deserves a real conversation, not a search at 2 a.m.
Talk to us before you talk to the church, its insurer, or anyone representing them. The consultation is free and confidential, and finding out where you stand costs you nothing. Contact a Louisiana clergy abuse lawyer at Mansfield Melancon Injury Lawyers today.