Washington Clergy Abuse Lawsuit

Help Law Group advocates for survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Washington State, including those harmed by members of the Catholic Church, as well as clergy and religious leaders across other denominations.

Washington's three Catholic dioceses — the Archdiocese of Seattle, the Diocese of Spokane, and the Diocese of Yakima — are currently under investigation by the Washington State Attorney General's Office over whether charitable funds were used to cover up decades of clergy sexual abuse. The Seattle Archdiocese has resisted the investigation, refused to comply with subpoenas, and lost a 2026 appellate ruling requiring it to hand over abuse records.

Civil lawsuits against these institutions are active. Survivors who were abused by a priest, deacon, volunteer, or other religious figure in Washington State may have civil options, even if the abuse occurred decades ago.

In 2023, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson opened a civil investigation into all three Catholic dioceses in Washington State: the Archdiocese of Seattle, the Diocese of Spokane, and the Diocese of Yakima. The investigation uses the state's Charitable Trusts Act to examine whether these institutions used charitable donations to conceal clergy sexual abuse.

The AG's office stated publicly that there is reason to believe the Seattle Archdiocese knew about priests' abusive behavior and used its resources to protect abusers rather than survivors. The investigation demands records going back to 1940, covering all abuse allegations — including those involving clergy already on the Archdiocese's public list and those it has not yet disclosed.

The Seattle Archdiocese refused to comply with subpoenas, arguing religious exemption. A King County Superior Court judge initially sided with the Archdiocese in 2024. A Washington appellate court overturned that ruling in March 2026, finding the Archdiocese could only claim a religious exemption where truly necessary to protect religious freedom — not to shield records of secular misconduct like child sexual abuse.

The investigation remains ongoing. As of this writing, no findings have been publicly released.

Archdiocese of Seattle 

The Archdiocese covers Western Washington and has publicly identified 83 clergy members as credibly accused of sexual abuse, with allegations spanning from the 1920s through 2008. 

Past settlements include more than $120 million across hundreds of survivors, a $12.125 million resolution for abuse at O'Dea High School and the former Briscoe Memorial School orphanage in Kent, and a $9.15 million settlement covering eight survivors. 

The Archdiocese has resisted the AG's investigation at every stage.

Diocese of Spokane 

The Diocese of Spokane declared bankruptcy in 2004 under the weight of clergy abuse claims and agreed to pay $48 million to nearly 200 survivors as part of that proceeding. It has publicly listed 30 credibly accused clergy members as required under its bankruptcy agreement. 

The Jesuits, whose Oregon Province covered Washington, paid a separate $166 million settlement covering hundreds of victims across five states.

Diocese of Yakima 

The Diocese of Yakima has publicly listed 21 clergy members with substantiated abuse allegations. The AG's investigation extended to Yakima alongside Seattle and Spokane, and the diocese faced the same subpoena demands for records going back to 1940.

What the AG's investigation and decades of civil litigation have documented is a consistent response to abuse reports across Washington's three dioceses: transfer the priest, protect the institution, and keep survivors quiet.

Specific documented practices include:

• Moving accused priests from one parish or assignment to another rather than removing them from ministry

• Withholding information about accused clergy from parishioners in the new location

• Using internal church processes to evaluate abuse claims rather than reporting them to law enforcement

• Retaining accused clergy for years, sometimes decades, after complaints were received

• Resisting public disclosure of named abusers until legal or public pressure made it unavoidable

The AG's court filings describe the Archdiocese of Seattle as having "refused to provide any meaningful transparency" about whether it was complicit in abuse, how many unreported priests may exist, or how it investigated those already on its public list. 

Survivors and advocacy groups handed the AG's office thousands of whistleblower documents in 2024 to support the investigation.

The Catholic Church has generated the largest volume of Washington clergy abuse claims, but abuse by religious figures is not limited to one denomination.

Jehovah's Witnesses 

In 2022, two men from Spokane filed a lawsuit alleging the Jehovah's Witnesses covered up decades of sexual abuse by a congregation elder.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints 

A Washington settlement of approximately $1.1 million has been reported in connection with abuse claims against the LDS Church.

Other Denominations 

Survivors have come forward across faith communities, including evangelical churches, youth ministries, and independent congregations. Abuse in religious settings frequently shares the same dynamics regardless of denomination: an adult in a position of spiritual authority, access to children or vulnerable individuals, and institutional pressure to handle concerns privately.

Civil claims can potentially name the individual who committed the abuse, the congregation that employed them, and any larger denominational body that knew about the conduct and failed to act.

Abuse Occurring On or After June 6, 2024 

HB 1618, signed in March 2024, eliminated the civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse occurring on or after this date. Survivors of abuse that occurred after June 6, 2024, have no filing deadline.

Abuse Occurring Before June 6, 2024 

For older claims, Washington's discovery rule governs the filing window. Survivors generally have three years from the date of the abuse, or three years from when they discovered the connection between the abuse and the harm it caused, whichever is later. The clock does not begin until the survivor turns 18.

Clergy abuse often takes years or decades to process and disclose. Survivors who buried what happened, who were told by their congregation or family to stay silent, or who only recently connected their current struggles to past abuse may still fall within the three-year discovery window.

What the Discovery Rule Means Practically 

Courts ask not only when a survivor remembered the abuse but when a reasonable person in their circumstances would have connected the abuse to lasting harm. 

Survivors experiencing depression, relationship difficulties, anxiety, or substance use that they have recently linked to what happened to them may have more time than they assume. A review can assess how these specific facts affect the timeline.

Many survivors of clergy abuse spent years in the same congregation as the person who harmed them. Others stayed connected to a faith community that dismissed what happened or had no language for it until much later. A case review does not require having everything figured out first.

We review cases from survivors of clergy abuse across Washington State, covering Catholic dioceses, independent congregations, and other faith communities.

A review covers which institution was involved, what Washington's current civil filing timelines mean for your specific situation, and whether claims against the denomination or a larger religious body may apply alongside those against the individual abuser.

Contacting us does not notify your diocese, congregation, or any religious organization. Nothing about getting in touch commits you to taking legal action.