Profile Facts
- Name
- David W. Harvey
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lansing
- Ordained
- 1968
- Status
- Accused
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
For decades, reports of abuse within the Catholic Church in Michigan, including reports concerning Father David W. Harvey, were buried, minimized, or ignored. Today, the clergy sexual abuse lawyers at White Law PLLC work to make sure survivors’ voices are heard and their claims are taken seriously.
Here is what public sources report about Father David W. Harvey. If you were affected, Michigan law may give you a path to hold him and the institutions that protected him accountable.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Lansing
The Attorney General’s 2018 investigation into clergy sexual abuse spanned all seven of Michigan’s Catholic dioceses: Archdiocese of Detroit, Diocese of Saginaw, Diocese of Kalamazoo, Diocese of Grand Rapids, Diocese of Marquette, and Diocese of Gaylord, and the Diocese of Lansing. Files from each diocese were reviewed for evidence of abuse by priests, brothers, and deacons. The public record concerning Father David W. Harvey sits within the material this statewide review produced.
The findings confirmed what many survivors already knew: abuse was widespread and often concealed, including in cases involving clergy like Father David W. Harvey. A Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer can help you understand where your experience fits and what compensation may be available.
The Allegations Against Father David W. Harvey
Where He Served
David W. Harvey was ordained for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1968 and became a priest of the Diocese of Lansing in 1971 when diocesan boundaries changed, according to published diocesan records. He retired in 2013.
What Was Reported
Published records indicate that Harvey was accused in 2016 of sexually abusing a boy, age 9, on one occasion in 1978 in Fenton, Michigan. His accuser said that when he arrived to attend Mass at St. John’s with his family, Harvey asked if he wanted to be an altar boy, then allegedly took the boy to “his chambers,” had him try on altar boy garb and told him to leave his pants off, pulled down the boy’s underpants, and sucked on his penis. Harvey denied the allegation. Police and the Diocese investigated; the accuser chose not to meet with the diocesan investigator, and the Review Board determined there was insufficient information to make a determination about the allegation’s credibility.
Harvey is reported to be living, so criminal options may still exist, and civil options apply regardless of any criminal case.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
In a criminal matter, the state must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and the penalty falls on the offender. In a civil matter, the survivor must prove the claim by a preponderance of the evidence, and the remedy is money damages paid to the survivor. These principles apply to cases involving Father David W. Harvey just as they do to any accused cleric.
That lower burden of proof is one reason civil cases succeed where criminal cases stall. For Michigan survivors reporting abuse by an accused cleric such as Father David W. Harvey, a civil claim is frequently the most realistic route to justice.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
The civil deadline in Michigan is set by §600.5805: generally ten years from the abuse or until the survivor’s 28th birthday, whichever comes later. On the criminal side, prosecutors face no time limit when pursuing first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges against Father David W. Harvey or any other accused cleric.
Survivors frequently need years before they can name what happened, as trauma disrupts memory and disclosure. Courts understand this reality, and legal doctrines exist that can preserve claims filed long after abuse by someone like Father David W. Harvey ended.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
Accountability does not stop with the individual cleric. Michigan law allows survivors to pursue the abuser’s estate as well as the institutions that employed him, where leaders were aware of the risk, or should have been, yet failed to stop the abuse, concealed it, or skipped basic screening and training of clergy such as Father David W. Harvey.
Damages in a case involving Father David W. Harvey can cover medical and therapy costs, pain and suffering, and lasting emotional distress. Contact White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.