The Catholic Church has faced widespread revelations of clergy sexual abuse and institutional cover-up across Louisiana and the country. Priests, deacons, and other church personnel abused children and vulnerable adults for decades while dioceses concealed the conduct, transferred perpetrators, and silenced survivors. Our attorneys pursue claims against both individual abusers and the dioceses and religious orders responsible for enabling them.

Clergy abuse is not limited to the Catholic Church. Survivors of sexual abuse by pastors, youth ministers, deacons, and other religious leaders in Protestant, Baptist, evangelical, and other denominational churches have the same right to pursue civil claims. Our attorneys represent survivors regardless of the denomination involved.

Religious schools and faith-based educational institutions have a duty to protect students from sexual abuse by teachers, coaches, administrators, and other staff. When an institution fails to conduct proper background checks, ignores complaints, or conceals known abuse, it shares responsibility for the harm inflicted on students.

Church-sponsored youth groups, camps, retreat programs, and after-school ministries have been sites of serious sexual abuse in Louisiana. The trusted and isolated environments these programs create can make children especially vulnerable. Our attorneys investigate the full history of the organization, including prior complaints and internal communications, to establish the institution’s knowledge and liability.

In many clergy abuse cases, the greatest harm was caused by the institution’s deliberate decision to conceal the conduct, transfer the perpetrator, and discourage survivors from coming forward. This institutional cover-up extended the period of abuse and caused profound additional harm to survivors. Our attorneys pursue independent claims against institutions for their role in concealing abuse and protecting perpetrators.

Religious counselors, spiritual advisors, youth mentors, and other trusted figures within a faith community can exploit the relationship of trust and authority they hold over vulnerable individuals. Our attorneys handle cases involving abuse in any context where a religious institution placed a trusted individual in a position of authority over the victim.

Many clergy abuse perpetrators victimized multiple individuals over extended periods — often because the institution failed to act on earlier complaints. Evidence of prior victims and prior complaints is critical to establishing an institution’s knowledge and liability. Our attorneys represent individual survivors while also working to uncover the full scope of an abuser’s conduct.

Children are the most common victims of clergy sexual abuse, and the psychological harm caused by this betrayal of trust can last a lifetime. Louisiana’s Child Victims Act lookback window gives adult survivors of childhood clergy abuse the opportunity to file civil claims that would otherwise have been time-barred. Our attorneys handle these cases with the care and sensitivity that survivors deserve.

Clergy and religious figures sometimes target vulnerable adults — those dealing with grief, mental health struggles, addiction, or spiritual crisis — who come to them for counsel and support. This abuse of a position of spiritual authority and trust is recognized under Louisiana law and can give rise to civil claims against both the individual and the institution.

For many survivors, the statute of limitations had previously run out before they were ready — or able — to come forward. Louisiana’s Child Victims Act lookback window has reopened the courthouse doors for survivors of childhood sexual abuse who were previously time-barred. If you were told in the past that it was too late to file, contact our attorneys now — that may have changed.

It may not be. Louisiana’s Child Victims Act lookback window has reopened the right to file civil claims for survivors of childhood sexual abuse — including clergy abuse — regardless of when the abuse occurred. If you were previously told the statute of limitations had run, that may have changed. Contact our attorneys as soon as possible. The lookback window is time-limited and will not remain open indefinitely.

Not necessarily. In many cases, survivors can file civil claims using a pseudonym or initials to protect their privacy. Our attorneys take every available step to protect the identity and privacy of our clients throughout the legal process. We discuss your privacy options with you in detail from the very beginning of your case.

Yes. Religious institutions can be held liable for clergy abuse under several theories — including negligent hiring, negligent supervision, negligent retention, and fraudulent concealment of known abuse. In many cases, pursuing the institution is essential because it was the institution’s deliberate decisions that enabled the abuse to continue. Our attorneys pursue full accountability from every responsible party.

Your claim may still be viable. When an individual abuser is deceased or no longer part of the institution, claims against the religious organization itself — for negligent supervision, concealment, and enabling of the abuse — can often still be pursued. Our attorneys evaluate the specific circumstances of your case to identify every available claim.

Nothing upfront. Our clergy abuse lawyers work on a contingency fee basis — you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. There are no upfront costs, no hourly fees, and no out-of-pocket expenses. If we do not recover compensation in your case, you owe us nothing.

Many clergy abuse cases resolve through settlement without requiring the survivor to testify publicly. However, if your case proceeds to trial, we prepare you thoroughly for every step of the process and stand by your side throughout. Our attorneys make every decision with your wellbeing and your goals front and center.

A church’s failure to act on a complaint of abuse is itself a form of institutional negligence — and in many cases, evidence of deliberate concealment. Documentation of prior reports that went unanswered is powerful evidence of an institution’s knowledge and liability. Institutions and their insurers work hard to minimize this evidence. Our attorneys know how to obtain internal records, prior complaints, and personnel files to build the strongest possible case.

The timeline varies depending on the complexity of the case, the number of defendants, and whether the matter resolves through settlement or proceeds to trial. Learn more about the timeline of a personal injury case. Our attorneys keep you informed at every step and make decisions based on your goals and your wellbeing.