Profile Facts
- Name
- Thomas P. Dunleavy
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Marquette
- Ordained
- 1934
- Status
- Accused
- Died
- 1/30/2002
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Years after Father Thomas P. Dunleavy died in 2002, women from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula began telling the Diocese of Marquette what he had done to them as children. Their accounts, documented in the Michigan Attorney General’s October 2022 report, describe sexual abuse at two parishes across the 1950s and 1960s. Our clergy sexual abuse lawyers assembled this page so survivors can review the full sourced record in one place.
Dunleavy was ordained in 1934 and spent decades in the Diocese of Marquette. Because he died on January 30, 2002, no criminal prosecution can be brought against him personally, but as explained below, Michigan law may still permit a civil claim against the diocese.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Marquette
The Diocese of Marquette serves Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and is one of seven dioceses statewide, along with Detroit, Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Saginaw. In 2018 the Michigan Attorney General opened a sweeping investigation into clergy sexual abuse, compelling each diocese to surrender personnel files and later issuing reports that named accused priests across Michigan, including in Marquette. White Law PLLC acts as a Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer for survivors in every corner of the state.
The reports about Dunleavy follow a painful pattern: children who spoke up were dismissed, and the priest was quietly transferred. If you were abused in a Marquette diocese parish or school, records gathered during the investigation may help support your claim.
The Allegations Against Father Thomas P. Dunleavy
Where He Served
According to published records, Dunleavy was ordained in 1934 and ministered in the Diocese of Marquette, with assignments including St. Joseph’s in Sault Ste. Marie and St. Williams in Menominee. He died on January 30, 2002.
What Survivors Reported
The Michigan Attorney General’s October 2022 report documents several accounts. A woman told the diocese in 2002 that Dunleavy sexually assaulted her in the early 1950s, when she was in sixth or seventh grade at St. Joseph’s. She said she confided in the school principal, a nun; two other girls her age had made similar allegations. Each girl was interviewed by the nun and another priest, and Dunleavy was, in the report’s words, “suddenly transferred.” In July 2002, another woman reported that she and her sister were sexually abused by Dunleavy in the 1960s at St. Williams in Menominee, when they were 11 and 14. She said a priest she told in the 1980s advised her to “forget about it,” though he claimed he had passed the allegations to Bishop Schmitt. A third woman reported in October 2018 and again in May 2022 that Dunleavy sexually abused her and her sister in the late 1960s, when she was in eighth grade in Menominee; she said she had reported the abuse to church authorities in Peoria, Illinois, in the 1990s.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Criminal and civil cases serve different ends. A criminal prosecution is brought by the state and seeks punishment, including imprisonment. A civil lawsuit is brought by the survivor and seeks financial compensation for the injuries suffered. One can proceed without the other.
Dunleavy died in 2002, so he is no longer alive for anyone to pursue criminal charges against him. A civil claim against the Diocese of Marquette may still be available, particularly if the diocese knew he was dangerous and moved him instead of stopping him.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan Legislature §600.5805 generally requires a civil sexual abuse lawsuit to be filed within ten years, or before the survivor turns 28, whichever date is later. For first-degree criminal sexual conduct, Michigan sets no deadline whatsoever.
Survivors frequently need decades before they can speak about abuse; memories can be buried, and shame runs deep. A lawyer can look at your specific timeline and tell you whether a claim remains viable.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
When a diocese learns of abuse and answers by transferring the priest, the institution itself may share legal responsibility, especially if it knew or should have known of the risk and failed to protect children. Recoverable damages can include therapy and medical costs, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
Contact White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195; our office is at . Your consultation is free and confidential, and you owe no fee unless we win your case.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.