Profile Facts
- Name
- Alphonse Boardway
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lansing
- Order
- OFM
- Ordained
- 1967
- Status
- Settled
- Died
- 9/23/1997
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father Alphonse Boardway, a Franciscan friar ordained in 1967, was accused of raping a 16-year-old boy in 1968, and after years of being stalled by church officials, the survivor settled with the order in 1994 for $107,800. Boardway was later murdered in 1997 while living in Arizona. The clergy sexual abuse lawyers at White Law PLLC recount the documented history here.
A settlement is not an admission of guilt, but it is a documented financial resolution of a survivor’s claim. Other survivors abused by Boardway may still have their own claims to bring.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Lansing
The Diocese of Lansing numbers among Michigan’s seven Catholic dioceses, with the Archdiocese of Detroit and the dioceses of Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Marquette, and Saginaw. The Attorney General’s December 2024 Lansing report includes Boardway. White Law PLLC advocates for survivors as a Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer.
Boardway’s accuser spent over a decade seeking acknowledgment, told to “shut up” by his parents, stalled by the order, and turned away by a diocesan lawyer citing the statute of limitations. Persistence eventually produced a settlement, and today’s legal landscape offers survivors more avenues than existed then.
The Allegations Against Father Alphonse Boardway
Where He Served
Boardway was a Franciscan (OFM) ordained in 1967. He worked in Texas, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Michigan, including the Diocese of Lansing. He was removed from ministry in 1989, appeared on the Lubbock diocese’s list in January 2019, the Las Cruces list in June 2019, and Lansing’s list on September 27, 2019. He was murdered in 1997 while living in Arizona.
What Was Reported
Published records indicate that in 2002, a man publicly alleged Boardway raped him at age 16 in 1968, when Boardway, a close family friend, slept over at the boy’s home and got him drunk beforehand. The boy told his parents immediately and was told to “shut up and not talk about it.” He contacted the Franciscans in 1977 and was “kept getting stalled”; the order sent him $500 in 1980 and $650 in 1985. In 1992, a diocesan lawyer told him the statute of limitations had expired. Boardway was sent to treatment in the early 1990s, and his accuser settled with the order in 1994 for $107,800. At least one other alleged victim has been identified. Because Boardway died in 1997, criminal prosecution is no longer possible.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Criminal Cases
Criminal cases are prosecuted by the state and result in punishment. Father Boardway died in 1997, so he is no longer alive for anyone to pursue criminal charges against him.
Civil Lawsuits
Civil cases compensate survivors, and Boardway’s own history proves they work: his accuser’s persistence led to a $107,800 settlement with the order in 1994. Other survivors may bring their own claims against the order or the diocese.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan Legislature §600.5805 generally gives survivors ten years, or until age 28, whichever is later, to file a civil sexual abuse lawsuit. First-degree criminal sexual conduct has no statute of limitations in Michigan.
Boardway’s accuser was once told nothing could be done because time had expired, yet he ultimately obtained a settlement. Limitations law is complex and fact-dependent; never accept a “too late” answer without an attorney’s review.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
Religious orders that stall, deflect, or quietly pay off survivors instead of protecting children may be held liable for the abuse their friars committed. Survivors can recover damages for therapy and medical costs, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
Call White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195. Your consultation is free and confidential; we are compensated only if we win for you.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.