Profile Facts
- Name
- Joseph McHugh
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lansing
- Order
- CSSp
- Ordained
- 1958
- Status
- Accused
- Died
- 9/25/2007
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father Joseph McHugh was a Spiritan priest who worked in Lansing in the 1970s and was accused by multiple women of sexually abusing them as children. White Law PLLC’s clergy sexual abuse lawyers compiled this profile from public records for survivors seeking the documented facts.
The Michigan Attorney General’s 2024 report on the Diocese of Lansing recounts allegations from three different women. If any part of their accounts resonates with your own experience, our attorneys are available for a confidential conversation.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Lansing
McHugh belonged to the Spiritans’ Irish Province and served in the Diocese of Lansing from 1974 to 1976. Michigan is home to seven Catholic dioceses, the Archdiocese of Detroit and the dioceses of Lansing, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Gaylord, Marquette, and Kalamazoo, all of which fell under the Attorney General’s clergy abuse investigation that began in 2018.
The December 2024 Lansing report devoted significant attention to McHugh. A Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer can walk survivors through the report and assess whether its contents support a civil claim.
The Allegations Against Father Joseph McHugh
Three Women Come Forward
According to published records, the Diocese of Lansing named McHugh publicly as credibly accused on its list of September 27, 2019. The Michigan Attorney General’s December 2024 report on the diocese reveals allegations by three different women of sexual abuse as children.
What Each Reported
One woman reported in 2011 that McHugh abused her at age 11 or 12 at St. Gerard Parish, grabbing her, rubbing against her, and forcing her to perform oral sex on him; she received a $35,000 settlement. In October 2018, a woman alleged that McHugh abused her, including rape, from 1975 to 1978, beginning when she was 16, at St. Gerard’s, St. Mary Cathedral, her home, a cottage, and in a car. In October 2019, a woman told the diocese that McHugh touched and kissed her from 1968 to 1973, when she was ages 13 to 18.
McHugh died on September 25, 2007.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Father McHugh died in 2007, so he cannot be criminally prosecuted. The criminal justice system has no further role to play in his case.
Survivors may still pursue civil claims against his religious order, the Spiritans, or the diocese where he served. Institutions that assign priests to parishes have a duty to screen, supervise, and act on warning signs, and failures in those duties can give rise to liability.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan Legislature §600.5805 generally permits civil sexual abuse claims within ten years of the abuse or until the survivor reaches 28, whichever is later. Michigan law places no time limit on first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges.
Allegations spanning the late 1960s through the 1970s raise obvious questions about deadlines. Rather than guessing, survivors should have counsel examine the specific facts, since the legal landscape around historic abuse claims continues to shift.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
White Law PLLC invites survivors to call (517) 316-1195 for a free, confidential consultation about abuse by Father McHugh. Our office is at .
We approach every survivor’s story with respect and without judgment. Let us help you understand what justice might look like in your case.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.