Profile Facts
- Name
- Louis Baudone
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Grand Rapids
- Ordained
- 1959
- Status
- Accused
- Died
- 5/18/2024
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father Louis Baudone, ordained in 1959, was the subject of substantiated child sexual abuse allegations in the Diocese of Grand Rapids, yet his priestly privileges were not removed until 2002, and he later relocated to Maine. He died in 2024. White Law PLLC’s clergy sexual abuse lawyers summarize the extensive documented record below.
Multiple survivors and their families reported Baudone over the years, and at least two of his alleged victims died by suicide. If he harmed you or a loved one, civil legal options against the diocese may still be available.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Grand Rapids
The Diocese of Grand Rapids is one of Michigan’s seven Catholic dioceses, together with the Archdiocese of Detroit and the dioceses of Gaylord, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette, and Saginaw. The Attorney General’s investigation launched in 2018 produced a Grand Rapids report on December 15, 2025, that includes Baudone. As a Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer, White Law PLLC draws on these state reports when representing survivors.
Baudone’s case illustrates how long an accused priest could remain in circulation: removed from a parish in 1993 but not stripped of privileges for nearly another decade. Survivors deserve to know what the diocese knew and when.
The Allegations Against Father Louis Baudone
Where He Served
Baudone was ordained in 1959 and served at parishes in Muskegon, Muskegon Heights, Lake Odessa, and elsewhere in the Grand Rapids diocese. He was removed from his parish in 1993 over early-1970s allegations, but his privileges were not removed until July 2002. Around 2004 he moved to the Diocese of Portland, Maine, where the Grand Rapids bishop informed the Portland bishop of the allegations. He was ordered to live a life of prayer and penance and died on May 18, 2024, in West Paris, Maine.
What Survivors Reported
published diocesan records documents a devastating pattern. In April 2002, a woman told the diocese that her brother, who died by suicide in 1992, had been sexually abused by Baudone at Sacred Heart in Muskegon; the diocese had paid for some of his therapy and his funeral. Baudone was the subject of substantiated allegations that he abused two children in 1981 in Muskegon Heights. In 2003, a man reported abuse from ages 10 to 13 during 1979–1981, and another alleged abuse from 1976 to 1980 at St. Edward’s in Odessa. In January 2008 came a report of the sodomy of an eight-year-old boy at St. Edward’s in 1972. In September 2018, a woman told the Attorney General’s office she caught Baudone abusing her 11- or 12-year-old brother in the 1970s; he later died by suicide, and she said her parents’ report to the Church was met with accusations of lying. In June 2021, a man reported being accosted by Baudone in a rectory in the mid-to-late 1970s. He was included in the Michigan Attorney General’s December 15, 2025 Diocese of Grand Rapids report.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Criminal prosecutions aim to imprison offenders; civil lawsuits aim to compensate survivors. Baudone’s death in 2024 means he is no longer alive for anyone to pursue criminal charges against him.
That leaves the civil path, claims against the Diocese of Grand Rapids for the decades it kept Baudone in ministry despite mounting reports. Survivors can seek damages for medical and therapy costs, pain and suffering, and emotional distress through that route.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan Legislature §600.5805 generally requires civil sexual abuse lawsuits to be filed within ten years or before the victim turns 28, whichever is later. First-degree criminal sexual conduct has no statute of limitations in Michigan.
Families who reported Baudone in the 1970s were accused of lying, a response that silenced victims for generations. The law’s extended civil deadlines exist for exactly this reason, and an attorney can assess whether your claim remains viable.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
A diocese that receives substantiated abuse reports yet leaves a priest in ministry for years may bear direct liability for every child harmed afterward. Claims can target the institution for negligent supervision, concealment, and failure to warn, seeking recovery for treatment costs, suffering, and lasting trauma.
To discuss your case confidentially, call White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195. Consultations are free, and we advance all costs.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.