Sexual abuse survivors in Bristol, Rhode Island deserve real answers and real legal options. If you were abused as a child or adult in Bristol, you have the right to hold your abuser, and the institution that enabled them, legally accountable. At Sommers Schwartz, our sexual assault attorneys represent survivors across Rhode Island, including those with ties to Bristol’s churches, schools, and community organizations. We know this path is not easy. We also know that what happened to you was not your fault, and that you deserve to be heard.

Table of Contents

• What a Bristol Sexual Abuse Lawyer Can Do for Survivors
• Bristol, Rhode Island Sexual Abuse: What the Attorney General’s Report Revealed
• Rhode Island’s New Child Sexual Abuse Law Opens a Two-Year Window for Bristol Survivors
• Who Can Be Held Liable for Sexual Abuse in Bristol, Rhode Island
• How Rhode Island’s Statute of Limitations Affects Your Bristol Claim
• FAQs About Bristol Sexual Abuse Lawyers in Rhode Island

What a Bristol Sexual Abuse Lawyer Can Do for Survivors

A civil sexual abuse lawsuit is separate from any criminal case. You do not need a police report, a conviction, or even a prior disclosure to file a civil claim. A Bristol sexual abuse lawyer helps you understand your legal options, identify all responsible parties, and pursue financial accountability through the courts.

Civil claims for sexual abuse can target more than just the person who committed the act. Institutions, including churches, schools, youth organizations, and employers, can be held liable when they hired someone who abused children, failed to supervise that person, ignored warning signs, or actively concealed abuse. This is called negligent supervision or negligent hiring, and it is a recognized cause of action under Rhode Island law.

At Sommers Schwartz, we handle every aspect of the legal process on your behalf. That includes investigating the history of your abuser, identifying institutional defendants, gathering records, and building a case that tells the full story of what happened and who is responsible. You focus on your healing. We focus on your case.

Many survivors worry that speaking up will mean reliving their trauma in public. Rhode Island law allows survivors to file civil lawsuits anonymously, using a Jane Doe or John Doe designation to protect their identity. Our attorneys can walk you through that process so you understand exactly what to expect before you decide to move forward.

You do not pay anything unless we recover compensation for you. There are no upfront fees, no hourly billing, and no financial risk to you for getting a consultation. If you are ready to learn what your options are, call us. A conversation costs you nothing, and it could change everything.

Bristol, Rhode Island Sexual Abuse: What the Attorney General’s Report Revealed

Bristol is a small, tight-knit community, and the abuse that happened here is not abstract. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report on child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence named specific clergy and specific locations in Bristol. St. Mary Church in Bristol appears in the report as a site where abuse allegedly occurred.

According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father William O’Connell allegedly sexually abused at least 23 boys between the ages of nine and sixteen from 1950 to 1985, primarily at St. Mary Church in Bristol and at his residence in South Kingstown. He allegedly pressured victims to sleep in his bed and provided them alcohol, and on at least three occasions allegedly abused victims together with other priests.

Father Thomas Dente Kofi Manu was ordained on July 15, 1973, and served as an extern (visiting) priest from Ghana who worked summer assignments at St. Mary Church in Bristol and officiated Mass on Prudence Island from approximately 1980 through 2007. According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report, a woman alleged that Father Manu sexually abused her over several summers when she was a teenager, with abuse that allegedly began with groping and kissing in a parish rectory in 1980, continued in 1982, and included rape in 1984.

The Attorney General’s report accused the Catholic Diocese of Providence of a “well-worn pattern” of failing to remove dozens of priests accused of child sexual abuse, and identified 75 clergy members who sexually abused more than 300 children since 1950. For Bristol survivors, these findings are not just statistics. They are confirmation that the abuse you or your loved one experienced was real, that others experienced it too, and that institutions knew and looked away.

If you were abused in Bristol, whether at St. Mary Church or anywhere else in the community, these findings may directly support your civil claim. Our attorneys have reviewed the Attorney General’s report and understand how it connects to potential legal liability for the Diocese and its affiliated institutions.

Rhode Island’s New Child Sexual Abuse Law Opens a Two-Year Window for Bristol Survivors

Rhode Island law has changed significantly for survivors with time-barred claims. Governor Dan McKee signed legislation amending the statute of limitations for child victim claims of sexual abuse and creating a two-year window for victims to bring otherwise time-barred claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse. The new law takes effect on July 1, 2026.

This law, enacted as H-7200A and S-2616A, directly addresses the gap that existed after the Rhode Island Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Houllahan v. Gelineau. That ruling held that Rhode Island’s prior law, known as Annie’s Law (R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-51), revived expired civil claims only against individual perpetrators, not against the institutions or supervisors who enabled or concealed the abuse. The new law fixes that gap.

The new law establishes a two-year civil “revival window” that opens from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2028. During this 24-month period, survivors can file civil suits even if the statute of limitations on their claims had previously expired. Under H-7200A, that revival applies to claims involving negligent supervision, negligent hiring, failure to report, and concealment of abuse, not just claims against the person who committed the act.

The law defines “sexual abuse” as any act committed against a person under 18 that would constitute a criminal violation of Chapter 37 of Title 11 of the Rhode Island General Laws. It also provides that a survivor does not need to prove which specific act in a series of abuse caused their injury. The discovery clock may run from the date of the last act in a common scheme or plan. Critically, the law states that a parent or guardian’s knowledge of the abuse cannot be used against the child survivor.

For Bristol survivors, this window is real and it is open now. If you believed your time had passed, please speak with one of our attorneys before assuming your claim is gone.

Who Can Be Held Liable for Sexual Abuse in Bristol, Rhode Island

Liability in a sexual abuse civil case extends well beyond the individual abuser. Rhode Island law recognizes that institutions bear responsibility when their failures allow abuse to happen or continue. Under H-7200A, a survivor can bring claims against any defendant whose wrongful conduct, negligence, or default in supervision, hiring, employment, training, monitoring, failure to report, or concealment of abuse caused or contributed to a child being sexually abused.

In the context of Bristol, this means the Diocese of Providence itself can be named as a defendant. Church leadership that transferred accused priests rather than removing them, ignored complaints, or failed to report abuse to civil authorities may carry civil liability. The same principle applies to schools, youth sports organizations, residential programs, and any other institution in Bristol that had a duty to protect children in its care.

Institutional defendants matter for a practical reason. Individual abusers often have few financial resources, may be deceased, or may already be incarcerated. It is typically institutions, with their assets, insurance policies, and organizational resources, that have the ability to pay meaningful compensation to survivors. The new 2026 law was designed with this reality in mind.

As a sexual abuse lawyer who handles institutional liability cases, our team at Sommers Schwartz investigates the full chain of responsibility. We look at who knew, when they knew, what they did, and what they failed to do. That investigation is how we build claims that go beyond the individual perpetrator and reach the organizations that made the abuse possible.

How Rhode Island’s Statute of Limitations Affects Your Bristol Claim

Understanding the statute of limitations is essential before you decide whether to file a civil claim. Rhode Island’s current baseline rule, under R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-51, gives adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse 35 years from the date of the abuse, or seven years from the date they discovered or reasonably should have discovered that their injury was caused by the abuse, whichever is longer. The clock does not start running until the survivor turns 18.

Before 2019, the limitations period was just three years. The 2019 amendment, known as Annie’s Law, expanded that window significantly. But as the Rhode Island Supreme Court clarified in Houllahan v. Gelineau, the revival provision in Annie’s Law applied only to claims against perpetrators, not institutions. That left many Bristol survivors with no legal path to sue the Diocese or other organizations that enabled their abuse.

The new 2026 law allows civil suits against the Diocese and any other institution that by neglect or willful action “caused or contributed to the childhood sexual abuse by another person.” This is a fundamental shift in Rhode Island law, and it is one that Bristol survivors should understand before assuming their case cannot be filed.

For survivors whose claims against institutional defendants were previously time-barred, the revival window runs through June 30, 2028. All time-barred claims must be filed before that date closes. There is no extension. If you are a Bristol survivor with questions about where you stand under current law, contact our team now. Our sexual assault lawyers in Rhode Island can review your situation and give you a clear answer about your options.

FAQs About Bristol Sexual Abuse Lawyers in Rhode Island

Do I need to have reported the abuse to police before I can file a civil lawsuit in Rhode Island?

No. A civil sexual abuse lawsuit is entirely separate from any criminal case. You do not need a police report, a prior criminal complaint, or a conviction to pursue a civil claim. Many survivors never reported their abuse to law enforcement, and that does not prevent them from seeking civil accountability. Rhode Island law allows you to file a civil suit based on your own testimony and the evidence your attorney gathers.

Can I sue the Diocese of Providence for abuse that happened at St. Mary Church in Bristol?

Potentially, yes. Under Rhode Island’s new 2026 law (H-7200A/S-2616A), survivors can now bring civil claims against institutions and supervisors, including the Diocese of Providence, for negligent hiring, negligent supervision, failure to report abuse, and concealment of abuse. If your claim against the Diocese was previously time-barred, the two-year revival window that opened on July 1, 2026, may allow you to file now. An attorney can review the specific facts of your case to determine whether your claim qualifies.

What if the priest or person who abused me is deceased?

You may still have a viable claim. When the individual abuser has died, civil claims can often proceed against the institution that employed or supervised them. The Diocese of Providence, a parish, a school, or another organization can be named as a defendant even if the perpetrator is no longer alive. In many cases, pursuing the institutional defendant is the stronger legal strategy, both because institutions have greater financial resources and because their failures often made the abuse possible in the first place.

Will I have to use my real name if I file a lawsuit?

Not necessarily. Rhode Island courts allow sexual abuse survivors to file civil lawsuits anonymously, using a Jane Doe or John Doe designation. This protects your identity from becoming part of the public record. Our attorneys can explain how anonymous filing works in Rhode Island, what protections it provides, and what the process looks like so you can make an informed decision before moving forward.

How long do I have to file a claim under Rhode Island’s 2026 revival window?

The revival window created by H-7200A and S-2616A runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028. All previously time-barred claims against institutions and supervisors must be filed before that deadline. Once the window closes, those claims may be permanently barred. If your claim is not time-barred under the existing statute of limitations in R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-51, different deadlines may apply. Either way, waiting reduces your options. Contact Sommers Schwartz now to understand exactly where your claim stands.

More Resources About Rhode Island City Pages

• Providence Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Cranston Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Warwick Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Pawtucket Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Woonsocket Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• East Providence Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Newport Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Smithfield Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Lincoln Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• North Providence Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• East Greenwich Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Westerly Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Middletown Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Coventry Sexual Abuse Lawyer