Commerce Township Clergy Abuse Lawyer

The prevalence of clergy abuse is one of the greatest failures of our society–and the world. Survivors should never be ignored, and abuse should never go unpunished. When you speak to a Commerce Township sexual abuse lawyer from White Law PLLC about your experience with clergy abuse, your lawyer will listen and take action to get you justice.

Our team has secured over $1.37 billion in settlement and trial awards for survivors of sexual abuse. We know what it takes to get justice. A Commerce Township clergy abuse lawyer is ready to hear your story and get to work for you. 

Clergy Abuse is a Widespread Problem in Michigan

Reports emerging over recent years demonstrate the prevalence of clergy abuse. This global problem has reached communities around the world, including here in Michigan. Clergy abuse is a betrayal of trust at the highest level and carries serious ramifications.

Unfortunately, religious systems and institutions create opportunities for abuse. There are clear power hierarchies, and those systems create an unbalanced power dynamic among clergy and parishioners and lend themselves to cover-ups. Clergy leaders are perceived or present themselves as authority figures and are often able to convince survivors to submit to abuse as an act of divine obedience or intimidate survivors into keeping the abuse a secret under threat of the threat of divine punishment.

Recent abuse exposures show clergy leaders’ superiors often learn of the abuse but use their power to cover it up to keep their own power intact and protect the institution’s reputation. A Commerce Township personal injury lawyer is ready to bring down that corrupt power dynamic by helping survivors–including you–expose abuse and demand accountability from your abuser and any complicit system. 

We will not be intimidated into silence and will use all of our firm’s knowledge, experience, and resources to fight for your justice.

Understanding Clergy Abuse in Commerce Township

Exposure requires understanding clergy abuse. Survivors often doubt their experiences, questioning their memories and wondering if they are just overreacting. This self-doubt, along with fear, shame, and other feelings, is one reason why most sexual abuse is under-reported.

Abusers count on survivors’ silence as that silence allows them to continue their disgraceful behavior. Trust your instincts, and if you suspect or know you have been a survivor of clergy abuse, talk to a Commerce Township clergy abuse attorney from White Law PLLC. Among other acts, clergy abuse includes:

• Hitting, slapping, or otherwise inflicting physical injury
• Financial exploitation: convincing or pressuring survivors into handing over money as an act of worship, from religious obligation, to experience a “blessing,” or for spiritual growth
• Emotional or psychological exploitation: using their perceived divine power to manipulate parishioners’ behaviors and relationships
• Sexual violence:  perpetuating sexual acts on parishioners or demanding parishioners  perform sexual acts 

Clergy sexual abuse is what has garnered the most attention from headlines and law enforcement over the past decade. The Michigan Attorney General has a task force dedicated to fighting Catholic Church Clergy Abuse and has been successful in punishing clergy abusers through the criminal justice system. A clergy abuse lawyer in Commerce Township, MI, is ready to help you pursue a more personal sense of justice by filing a claim with the civil court.

How a Commerce Township Clergy Abuse Attorney Can Help You Fight Back

When you file a claim against your abuser, you actively shift the power dynamic. Now, your abuser is on defense. This act of taking your power back is healing and just one reason to take your case to court.

Physical problems, emotional and psychological suffering, and the inability to establish or maintain trusting, fulfilling relationships are among the long-term effects of clergy abuse on survivors. The reach of these effects is long–capable even of preventing survivors from working and supporting themselves and leading to substance abuse and addiction in the attempt to soothe pain through self-medicating. When an abuser has stolen so much from you, you have the right to demand they pay you back, and our Commerce Township clergy abuse lawyers is ready to help.

There are still more reasons to fight back. Through a civil case, you:

• Publicly expose your abuser. They can no longer hide from the truth.
• Prevent continued abuse. In exposing the predator, you warn other possible survivors, helping them avoid the same suffering. Your courage may also stop other predators from hurting others out of fear of facing similar exposure.
• Inspire others. In revealing your experience, you help other survivors feel less isolated. You may even give them the courage to come forward and demand justice for themselves.

What You Can Expect in a Clergy Abuse Personal Injury Claim

Your clergy abuse attorney in Commerce Township, MI, will explain how clergy abuse cases work and handle them with sensitivity and skill. First, our team will investigate what happened, working to uncover every bit of evidence to support your claim. We have a firm hold on Michigan’s guidelines on evidence for clergy abuse lawsuits and will explore all sources of information.

Next, we will file your case with the court. It is important to connect with us as soon as possible after experiencing or realizing abuse so we can file within the statute of limitations for clergy abuse. Your Commerce Township clergy abuse lawyer will consider every consequence you experience and calculate an amount of fair compensation. 

When someone you trust abuses you, makes you distrust your own inner voice, and convinces you to remain silent, the effects are devastating. You can suffer physical injury, emotional distress, psychological trauma, financial distress, and overall loss of your quality of life. 

The Rape, Incest & Abuse National Network (RAINN) establishes the effects many survivors of sexual abuse face, but other studies, including one from Science Direct, describe additional damage perpetrated when abusers are members of the clergy, which emphasize just how much survivors deserve justice.

You Have the Right to Demand Justice

You have the right to demand accountability from your abuser by seeking damages for the pain you have endured and the financial fallout you have experienced from your abuse. Connect with White Law PLLC for a free case consultation. We will listen to you, support you, and fight for you.