Profile Facts
- Name
- Timothy Desrochers
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Marquette
- Status
- Accused
- Died
- 2020
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father Timothy Desrochers is a priest of the Diocese of Marquette who faces accusations of sexual abuse involving minors. White Law PLLC’s clergy sexual abuse lawyers represent survivors throughout Michigan; here is what has been publicly reported about Father Timothy Desrochers.
What follows is a summary of Father Timothy Desrochers’s assignments, the accusations on the public record, and the civil and criminal avenues Michigan law provides. Survivors deserve clear information, and that is what this page aims to give.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Marquette
State investigators have been examining clergy abuse in Michigan since the Attorney General’s 2018 investigation, with the Diocese of Marquette included in that effort. If Father Timothy Desrochers abused you, a Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer at our firm can walk you through the findings.
Michigan is home to seven Catholic dioceses, Diocese of Gaylord, Archdiocese of Detroit, Diocese of Lansing, Diocese of Grand Rapids, Diocese of Kalamazoo, Diocese of Saginaw, Diocese of Marquette. The Attorney General’s office has released detailed reports on several of them, and the findings for the Diocese of Marquette help document the allegations against Father Timothy Desrochers.
The Allegations Against Father Timothy Desrochers
What the Record Shows
Timothy Desrochers was a priest of the Diocese of Marquette. He was named in the Michigan Attorney General’s October 2022 final report on the Diocese of Marquette among the 44 priests with credible allegations of sexual abuse. He died in 2020.
What Comes Next
White Law PLLC is compiling the full profile of Father Timothy Desrochers. Because he died in 2020, criminal charges can no longer be pursued against him, but survivors may still have civil claims against his estate or the Diocese of Marquette. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact our firm.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Michigan law treats abuse by clergy such as Father Timothy Desrochers through two separate systems. Criminal prosecution is the government’s case and aims at punishment, while a civil claim belongs to the survivor and aims at compensation. A survivor may pursue a civil case regardless of whether criminal charges were ever filed.
A survivor abused by Father Timothy Desrochers can bring a civil lawsuit against him directly, against his estate where applicable, and against the diocese or order that placed him in ministry. Liability can attach when church officials knew or should have known of the threat and still failed to prevent the abuse, hid it, or used poor screening and training practices. Compensation may cover medical and therapy expenses, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan Legislature §600.5805 controls the civil deadline for claims involving Father Timothy Desrochers: survivors typically have ten years from the abuse or until their 28th birthday to sue. First-degree criminal sexual conduct, by contrast, carries no statute of limitations under Michigan law.
Delayed reporting is the norm, not the exception, in cases involving clergy such as Father Timothy Desrochers. Memory loss and trauma responses can keep survivors from recognizing or disclosing abuse until decades later. Michigan law’s longer civil window was built with that reality in mind.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
If you were abused by Father Timothy Desrochers, please reach out. White Law PLLC offers confidential consultations at (517) 316-1195.
Every consultation is private, and there is no obligation. Sharing your story with an experienced attorney is the first step toward holding Father Timothy Desrochers, and any institution that protected him, accountable.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.