Profile Facts
- Name
- B. Neil Smith
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Marquette
- Ordained
- 1948
- Status
- Accused
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
As clergy sexual abuse lawyers serving Michigan, White Law PLLC has built this profile of Father B. Neil Smith from public sources. It summarizes the reported accusations against him.
We have organized this page around Father Smith’s assignments, the reported misconduct, and the remedies Michigan law provides. With no reported date of death, the possibility of criminal charges remains, as does the right to file a civil case for damages.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Marquette
The Diocese of Marquette, where Father B. Neil Smith held assignments, is one of seven dioceses covering Michigan. Those seven dioceses, Detroit, Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette, Saginaw, have each faced scrutiny over their handling of abuse reports, including reports like those against Father Smith.
Michigan’s Attorney General began investigating clergy sexual abuse in 2018, a probe that reached into each of the seven dioceses and helped expose patterns like those in Father Smith’s record. Patterns of abuse and institutional cover-ups emerged from that review, and a Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer can help survivors of Father Smith understand whether the Diocese of Marquette failed in its duties.
The Allegations Against Father B. Neil Smith
Where He Served
Father B. Neil Smith, ordained in 1948, served in the Diocese of Marquette. He died in 2007.
What Survivors Reported
Published records indicate that Smith was named publicly as accused in the Michigan Attorney General’s October 2022 report. In 2004, a man told Bishop Garland that Smith had sexually abused him multiple times at age 14 or 15 in 1951 or 1952. Smith admitted to his behavior, but the Vatican determined there would be no penal action because of his age, infirmity, and retirement status. In 2018, the diocese received another report: that Smith had put his hand on the crotch of a 14- or 15-year-old during a car ride in 1954 or 1955.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
A single report of abuse can set two kinds of cases in motion, and they do not depend on one another, including where Father Smith is concerned. One process punishes the wrongdoer, the other compensates the person who was harmed, and a survivor of Father Smith can pursue the civil path regardless of what prosecutors decide.
Criminal Charges
Because the burden of proof is ‘beyond a reasonable doubt,’ criminal cases are difficult, and in matters involving Father Smith, as in all such cases, they are controlled by prosecutors, not the survivor.
Civil Accountability
Civil cases put the survivor in charge: those harmed by Father Smith decide whether to file, and a successful claim yields compensation rather than a prison sentence.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan legislators set the civil filing deadline at MCL §600.5805: generally ten years, extending to the survivor’s 28th birthday, for claims like those against Father Smith.
First-degree criminal sexual conduct carries no limitations period in Michigan. And because many survivors of Father Smith may need decades to confront what happened, a lawyer should review the deadlines rather than the survivor guessing.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
Accountability does not stop with the individual cleric. If the Diocese of Marquette was aware, or should have been aware, of Father Smith’s behavior and failed to prevent it, covered up complaints, or neglected proper screening and supervision, the institution itself can be sued.
A successful claim against Father Smith can provide for medical and therapy expenses, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. Contact White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.