Father Donald Hartman – Clergy Sex Abuse Lawyers
Father Donald Hartman had been a fixture in the Marquette Archdiocese since the 1950’s. In 1992, Fr. Hartman was removed from public ministry after reports of sexual abuse involving a 12 year old altar boy began to surface. In the previous year, a civil complaint was filed in the Dickinson County Circuit court alleging Fr. Hartman of sexually assaulting an altar boy at American Martyrs Church in Escanaba.
The Diocese received a number of complaints of sexual abuse against Fr. Hartman. The complaints were made long after Fr. Hartman was removed from public ministry (1992) and years after he died (1999).
In 2002, an altar boy sent an email to Bishop James Garland informing him that Fr. Hartman was a pedophile and that he had been sexually assaulted by Fr. Hartman going back to the 1950’s. During this time, Fr. Hartman was a Priest at St. Ignatius Loyola Parish in St. Ignace. Since Fr. Hartman had ceased his ministerial duties with the church and moved to the State of New York, very little action was taken against him.
In 2004, allegations of sexual abuse against a minor was levied against Fr. Hartman. The investigation revealed that Fr. Hartman would meet minors outside of church property and would invite them to his house where he would sexually abuse them. The allegations involved him fondling and performing fellatio on minors. To hide his crimes, Fr. Hartman instructed his victims not to tell anyone. These victims stayed silent for decades.
In 2010, a victim came forward and reported that he was sexually assaulted as a teenage boy in 1963 by Fr. Hartman. The allegation were corroborated by a witness who came forward and indicated that she saw Fr. Hartman sexually abusing a minor on church property and brought it to the attention of the boy’s mother. After the church conducted an internal investigation, Fr. Hartman was moved to another parish.
As time passed and the teenage boys have become grown adults, they have developed the courage to come forward and tell their story in order to get to the truth of what occurred, to see that practical and policy changes be made, to protect and prevent the sexual assault of minors and to hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
Sommers Schwartz shareholders, Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller, Matthew Curtis and Jay Yasso have fought for victims of sexual abuse. The law firm of Sommers Schwartz has recovered millions for survivors of Michigan State University and USAG team physician, Dr. Larry Nassar, and against Dr. Robert Anderson who sexually abused students, athletes and other patients for over 35 years at the University of Michigan.
If Fr. Hartman or any other priest or a member of the Catholic Church sexually abused you, you should consult experienced attorneys at Sommers Schwartz. Attorneys Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller, Matthew Curtis and Jay Yasso are seasoned and aggressive personal injury attorneys who will also show you the compassion, empathy and sensitivity you deserve. All consultations with Lisa, Matt and Jay are confidential and free.
We fight hard. And we win.
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