People often turn to religion to gain a sense of community and connection, of belonging to something greater. What if that sense of comfort and connection is shattered by abusive sexual acts? What if your role as a believer turns into the role of a survivor at the hands of clergy members?
Religious sexual abuse takes advantage of a person’s faith and threatens their relationship to their community of support. Because churches are institutions that work to maintain their hierarchy, reports of abuse are often disregarded or covered up. When that happens, predators are able to hide within the halls of your church, endangering other innocent worshipers.
We at The Pride Law Firm have dedicated our careers to helping survivors of sexual abuse and assault regain their power and find peace through the justice system. We believe you, and we’re here to help you hold abusers and their enablers accountable. Reach out to us at our San Diego offices online or by calling (619) 516-8166 as soon as possible.
A lot of survivors assume too much time has passed to do anything now. In California, that’s often not true, even when the abuse happened decades ago. We can walk you through the current filing deadlines and where you stand.
“There is no one better at trauma-informed lawyering than Jessica Pride. I highly recommend her law firm to anyone who is ready to fight for justice and take back their power. She is a force of nature in the courtroom and a supportive voice for SA survivors.”
– Gina M. | Client
What Is Church Sexual Abuse?
When a person in a position of religious authority exploits a churchgoer in order to satisfy their own desires, it is considered church sexual abuse. This includes individuals in any sort of power position, such as a priest, minister, rabbi, pastor, or imam.
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, includes any unwanted sexual contact. This includes inappropriate touching, fondling, use of pornography, sexually suggestive activities, nakedness, and sexual assault.
When sex abuse occurs in a place of worship, it’s often confusing for survivors, because they were most likely exploited by a person they looked up to and trusted. If this describes your experience, or if you know someone who has been taken advantage of by a clergy member, we can help you understand what happened to you. Contact a San Diego clergy sexual abuse attorney at our firm online or by calling (619) 516-8166.
Your Story Is Safe With Us
Speaking up about church sexual abuse takes strength. When you’re ready to talk to a San Diego clergy sexual abuse lawyer, know that everything you share with us is 100% confidential. In this short video, our attorney explains how we protect your privacy and why putting survivors first is always our top priority.
About San Diego Clergy Abuse
Sadly, San Diego is not immune to the widespread issue of clergy sexual abuse. Lawsuits have been filed against various religious institutions in our city, including the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego.
In 2007, the San Diego Diocese agreed to a $198.1 million settlement to resolve 144 claims of sexual abuse by 48 priests. This was the second-largest payment by a diocese in the U.S. at the time. The diocese also released a list of priests with “credible accusations” of sexual abuse.
Catholic institutions account for a large share of clergy abuse claims in California, so we cover them in depth on their own page. If a priest, deacon, or other Catholic clergy member abused you, our California Catholic Church sexual abuse lawyers explain diocese lawsuits, bankruptcy claims, and how these cases work.
While this scandal primarily involved the Catholic Church, sexual abuse has also been reported in other faiths in San Diego, including the Mormon and Jewish communities.
Most recently, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) has been named in nearly 100 sexual abuse claims for adult survivors of childhood sexual assault. Several of these lawsuits involve abuse that allegedly occurred in San Diego County, including five new plaintiffs who claim they were sexually assaulted by high-ranking LDS leaders such as bishops and home teachers.
Notable Cases and Accused Clergy Members in San Diego
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego has released a list of priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse. These are just some of the individuals who have faced legal action or accusations in our area. They include:
- Monsignor Rudolph Galindo: Accused of molesting young boys, including altar boys, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Otay Mesa in the 1960s.
- Monsignor William Armstrong Kraft: Accused of abusing multiple children at different San Diego parishes, including St. Therese and Good Shepherd, during the 1960s and 70s. The diocese was accused of moving him from one parish to another despite complaints.
- Reverend Robert S. Koerner: Accused of molesting several children at St. Patrick’s Parish in Calipatria.
- Monsignor Gregory Sheridan: A lawsuit filed in 2019 alleged that he sexually molested three young girls at their San Diego church when they were children.
You can find additional names of credibly accused priests here.
The existence of such a long history of abuse and institutional cover-ups in our own city underscores the importance of coming forward. Our San Diego clergy abuse lawyers are ready to stand with you and fight for the justice you deserve.
Places of worship should be safe havens to lay your troubles down and embrace your faith. But what if that safe place turns into a setting for abuse? When that happens, a San Diego clergy sexual abuse attorney can help you hold the perpetrator and institutions accountable.
How Common Is Religious Abuse?
It is difficult to determine how common religious sexual abuse is, because roughly 2 out of every 3 sexual abuse incidents are never reported. National statistics show that 63% of adult sexual assaults are not reported to authorities, and only 12% of child sexual abuse crimes are reported to the police.
Here’s what we do know about the occurrence of religious sexual abuse:
- Hundreds of thousands have been sexually abused by Catholic clergy in recent decades, including the Eastern Orthodox church.
- Protestant Christian churches have also come under scrutiny for worldwide sexual abuse of adults and children, including the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and the Mormon (LDS) Church.
- Child sexual abuse lawsuits are filed in the Orthodox Jewish community as well.
- Abuse of women is prevalent in the Muslim faith, as highlighted by the #MosqueMeToo movement.
- The more that sexual abuse is covered up, the more common it becomes. Sexual abuse causes long-term harm in children and creates generational trauma for adults.
Church sexual abuse can also target specific groups within the congregation, such as teenagers, males, or immigrants.
By speaking out and pursuing justice for yourself, you can help expose predators, prevent future abuse, and clean up the church you rely on for solace and spiritual guidance.
Regardless of faith, no religious organization is exempt from the risk of sexual abuse. We believe you, and what happened was not your fault. Contact the attorneys at The Pride Law Firm online or at (619) 516-8166 to tell your story and discuss your options for justice.
What Are the Effects of Church Sexual Abuse?
Whether the abuse happened decades ago or weeks ago, survivors experience a range of emotions. This can include anger, sorrow, rage, or even fear. Fear of speaking out, of repercussion, or of being blamed. These are all normal emotional reactions to abuse.
Survivors share many of the same feelings:
- Guilt about what happened.
- Self-blame.
- Difficulty with adult sexual relationships.
- Trouble setting boundaries.
- Struggles with self-esteem.
Survivors of church sexual abuse often carry the pain long after the abuse has stopped. Some common long-term effects include:
- Constant anxiety or fear.
- Depression and mood swings.
- Trouble sleeping or nightmares.
- Flashbacks or feeling like it’s happening all over again.
- Panic attacks or sudden feelings of dread.
- Feeling numb or disconnected (dissociation).
- Avoiding people, places, or situations (isolation or phobias).
- Difficulty trusting others or forming close relationships.
- Physical pain with no clear cause.
- Self-harm, substance use, or disordered eating.
- A deep sense of helplessness or shame.
If you’re an adult survivor, chances are you’ve kept feelings inside for a long time. Perhaps you tried to tell someone who didn’t believe you, or you don’t have someone you feel you could trust. The effects of the trauma might still be emotionally impacting you.
There are over 3,000 religious organizations and churches across the greater San Diego area, including San Diego, Carlsbad, Chula Vista, and Poway. With so many institutions, it’s vital to recognize that abuse can and does happen here. Survivors often feel isolated, especially when the abuse involves a trusted religious figure. But you’re not alone, and you’re not without options.
Recovering from this experience can begin with telling someone and seeking professional help from an experienced San Diego church sexual abuse lawyer. Take the first step and reach out to us at (619) 516-8166 or fill out our online form, and we’ll take care of the rest.
What Should You Do if You’ve Been Sexually Abused at Church?
If you’ve been a survivor of church sexual assault or abuse:
- Do not return to the church for now. Even if you would find the place or the community comforting, religious leadership may try to protect their own reputation and dissuade you from contacting the police or taking further action.
- Speak with a sexual assault attorney. Your attorney will help you understand your options moving forward and will explain how the legal process will look. At The Pride Law Firm, we offer free, 100% confidential consultations to discuss your individual matters and answer any questions you may have.
- Seek care and counseling. Beginning to process your feelings and talking with a counselor can help tremendously. If you need someone to talk to right now, the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline is free, confidential, and available 24/7. Compensation from a lawsuit can also help you afford the top specialists in their field.
Any person who’s received unwanted sexual attention or advances is a survivor of sexual abuse. Secondary survivors are those who indirectly experience the church leader’s sexual misconduct, such as spouses, children, and fellow churchgoers. If you, your spouse, or your children are among the survivors, we can help you get the peace and justice you deserve.
Listen to attorney Jessica Pride share how our firm helped secure a $116 million settlement for survivors of sexual abuse at a federal women’s prison. The patterns of abuse and cover-up in that case echo what many survivors face in religious institutions. No system is too powerful to be held accountable:
Can You Sue a Priest? Can You Sue a Church?
The answer to both is yes. If you were abused by a priest, pastor, rabbi, imam, or other clerical leader, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against them. A lawyer can assist you in pursuing legal action against a specific individual.
If you were harmed by a church, temple, or mosque, you may be able to sue the institution itself and any decision-makers whose negligence directly injured you. Examples of such negligence include placing a known predator in your path, lying about or destroying evidence of sexual abuse, or failing to report what they witnessed or heard to the proper authorities.
You may still have a claim even if the person who abused you has died, or was never criminally charged. A civil case against the church or diocese turns on the institution’s own negligence, so it can move forward when the individual can no longer be prosecuted, and even when the abuser has passed away. Civil and criminal cases are separate, and a civil claim carries a lower burden of proof.
How Long Do You Have to File a Clergy Abuse Lawsuit in California?
Often longer than you would think, and for some survivors there’s no deadline at all. California has some of the most survivor-friendly filing rules in the country. How they apply to you depends mostly on how old you were when the abuse happened and what year it occurred.
For survivors who were children at the time, Code of Civil Procedure section 340.1 works like this:
- Abuse on or after January 1, 2024: there’s no filing deadline at all. California removed the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse going forward.
- Abuse on or before December 31, 2023: you generally have until your 40th birthday, or 5 years from the date you discovered that a psychological injury or illness was caused by the abuse, whichever comes later.
If you were an adult when the abuse happened, a different statute (section 340.16) sets your deadline, generally 10 years from the assault or 3 years from when you connected an injury to it, whichever is later.
There’s one more deadline that can override all of this, and it’s the reason waiting is risky. Several California dioceses, including the Diocese of San Diego, have filed for bankruptcy. A bankruptcy court sets its own claim deadline, called a bar date, and it can cut your window far shorter than the statute of limitations would. Some of these deadlines have already passed. If the institution that harmed you is in bankruptcy, please don’t try to work out on your own whether you still have time. Call us right away and we’ll check your specific deadline for you.
How a San Diego Church Sexual Abuse Attorney Can Help You
Taking legal action against a religious institution is not easy. These organizations often hold deep influence within families, communities, and even the legal system itself. For many survivors, faith was once a safe place, which makes the betrayal even harder to face. Speaking out can feel impossible when the abuser is protected by power, tradition, or silence.
Here’s how we can help:
- Explain Your Rights in Simple Terms: California has extended the time limits for survivors to file a lawsuit. We’ll go over what that means for you, and whether you may have a case against both the person who hurt you and the institution that allowed it to happen.
- Investigate and Gather the Evidence: We’ll take care of collecting records, witness statements, and any other information needed to build a strong case on your behalf.
- Handle the Legal Side of Things: You won’t have to talk to the church or their lawyers, because we’ll do that for you. Whether it’s negotiating a fair settlement or preparing for trial, we’ll always keep your best interests front and center.
- Stand Up for You in Court, If Needed: If a settlement isn’t possible, we’re fully prepared to take your case to court in San Diego and fight for the justice you deserve.
- Connect You With the Right Support: Legal action is just one piece of the journey. If you need a therapist, counselor, or support group, we can help connect you to professionals who understand the unique trauma that comes from religious abuse.
What Types of Compensation Can a San Diego Clergy Sexual Abuse Attorney Recover for Me?
Calculating compensation in an abuse case can be complex, but an experienced San Diego clergy sexual abuse lawyer can provide guidance. Each case is unique, so there is no one number that describes an average church sexual abuse lawsuit settlement.
Here are examples of compensation that survivors can claim:
- Medical costs, including psychological treatment
- Lost wages and a loss of earning capacity
- Pain and suffering, including emotional distress and conditions like PTSD
- Punitive awards, which are financial penalties to punish wrongdoers and deter future abuses
- Wrongful death compensation for family members of those who were lost to suicide
What you receive from a settlement or verdict is based on your specific losses, and on your San Diego religious sexual abuse lawyer’s ability to translate those losses into monetary figures that the court can understand.
What Does It Cost to Hire a Clergy Abuse Lawyer?
Nothing up front. We handle clergy and church sexual abuse cases on a contingency fee basis, so our fee comes out of a recovery rather than your pocket. If there’s no recovery, you owe no attorney fee. The first consultation is always free and completely confidential, whether or not you decide to move forward.
No survivor should stay silent because they’re worried about what a lawyer costs.
Contact an Experienced San Diego Religious Sexual Abuse Lawyer
Clergy members who sexually assault or molest those who look up to them must be held accountable for their acts. Filing a lawsuit can offer significant closure for you, and it can also help make sure your perpetrator does not get the chance to hurt someone else.
Clergy abuse is one of several kinds of institutional abuse we handle. If your abuse happened in another setting, start with our San Diego sexual assault practice, or browse the full sexual assault practice to find the area that fits your case.
Why Hire The Pride Law Firm
At The Pride Law Firm, we’re more than just legal advocates. We’re trusted allies to those who have suffered the heartbreaking reality of church sexual abuse. We’ll guide you through each step, and you’ll never be alone. Managing partner Jessica Pride has been fighting on behalf of survivors of sexual assault for more than ten years. She and her team have secured justice for hundreds of individuals and families, helping them heal and move forward to brighter futures.
If you have suffered sexual assault in a religious setting, contact us today at (619) 516-8166 or online. Your information remains in strict confidence, and all initial legal consultations are free and without obligation. Besides finding justice for your wounds, you can help end the cycle of abuse by coming forward and creating a better future for yourself and others after you.
San Diego Church Sexual Abuse FAQs
“Grooming” describes multiple actions used by predators to weaken, isolate, and manipulate individuals to prey upon them. Often used to describe child abusers, grooming can be done to adults too, especially in situations like religious settings where the predator holds a position of authority over the parishioner.
Grooming could entail a minister, priest, rabbi, or imam giving a member special treatment to create feelings of gratitude and indebtedness. It can include isolating the member away from group events for one-on-one time. The attention may be accompanied by inappropriate touching, commenting on the survivor’s appearance, or asking about their personal life.
This type of favoritism is often the beginning stage of grooming, followed by secrecy, initiating sexual contact, and controlling the relationship. Recognizing the signs can help ensure survivors that they are not to blame, and could help prevent abuse going forward.
Institutional abuse, also known as organizational abuse, is when individuals are harmed by the structures or hierarchy of an institution or care setting. Examples include places like churches, schools, prisons, rehab or mental health facilities, and workplaces (including the armed forces).
In instances of sexual abuse cases, institutions may close ranks and hide wrongdoing instead of punishing it. They may also intimidate, threaten, or otherwise silence those victimized because they believe open honesty would harm the reputation of the organization.
Church leadership may prioritize the image of the institution over the well-being of parishioners, moving sexual predators around to unsuspecting congregations. In this way, the church itself becomes the perpetrator of sexual crimes, which is why the institutions themselves are frequently named in lawsuits from survivors. If you have a case to bring against a religious institution, contact the Pride Law Firm at 619-514-2968 to hold them accountable.
Often longer than you’d think, and for some survivors there’s no deadline at all. It comes down to how old you were and what year the abuse happened. If you were a child and the abuse happened on or after January 1, 2024, there’s no filing deadline, because California removed the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse going forward. If you were a child and it happened on or before December 31, 2023, you generally have until your 40th birthday, or 5 years from when you connected a psychological injury to the abuse, whichever is later, under Code of Civil Procedure section 340.1. If you were an adult at the time, a separate rule (section 340.16) usually gives you 10 years, or 3 years from when you linked an injury to the assault, whichever is later. One thing can override all of this: several California dioceses, including the Diocese of San Diego, have filed for bankruptcy, and a bankruptcy sets its own claim deadlines that can be much shorter. Some have already passed. So don’t assume it’s too late, and don’t assume you still have time. Call us and we’ll confirm the deadline for your specific situation.
The concept of mutual consent does not apply between a churchgoer and their religious leader due to the power differential between the two. The differential of power between a religious leader and a churchgoer is like that of a physician and a patient, or a teacher and a student.
Because of the power a church leader holds over congregation members, a churchgoer may feel they lack the authority to refuse sexual advances.
For this reason, the concept of consent becomes virtually meaningless, and any sexual relationship between a religious leader and a congregant automatically negates mutual consent. An attorney can assist you if you have any questions about consent or other issues.
Frequently, yes. A claim against the church or diocese can proceed even when the individual abuser is deceased, because the institution’s own negligence is at issue.
You can still pursue a civil claim. Civil and criminal cases are separate, and a civil claim has a lower burden of proof.
No. We represent survivors abused in any faith community, including Protestant churches, other denominations, and religious schools and youth programs.
Nothing. The consultation is free, and we work on contingency, so you pay no attorney fee unless we recover for you.
