Clergy Abuse Coalition

What Clergy Abuse Coalition does

Clergy Abuse Coalition is a private legal services coalition formed by three Michigan-based law firms — Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonnani & Rivers, Grewal Law PLLC, and Sommers Schwartz PC — to provide plaintiff-side civil representation to survivors of clergy sexual abuse, primarily within the seven Catholic dioceses of Michigan (Saginaw, Marquette, Kalamazoo, Gaylord, and others). The firm offers confidential, trauma-informed legal representation on what appears to be a contingency-fee basis (free initial consultation with fees contingent on settlement or judgment), and has secured over $1 billion in cumulative settlements across three landmark matters: the $500M Michigan State University/Larry Nassar case (2018), the $380M USA Gymnastics/USOPC/Nassar case (2021), and the $490M University of Michigan/Robert Anderson case (2023, the largest male sexual abuse settlement globally). The coalition operates seven Michigan offices across Southfield, Detroit, Kalamazoo, Okemos, Northville, Grand Rapids, and Royal Oak, supported by 11-50 employees and a senior attorney roster combining 100+ years of litigation experience.

The business is a sales-led plaintiff practice with a direct-to-survivor GTM motion: outreach is driven by the firm's website (michiganclergysexualabuse.com), a direct intake phone line (248.799.7876), and significant earned media presence on CNN, Today Show, HBO, NBC, ABC, and Fox News, which functions as the primary top-of-funnel channel. Customer segments are primarily clergy abuse survivors in Michigan (vertical segmentation), with secondary expansion into sexual abuse survivors more broadly — including higher education, public school districts, and healthcare settings such as Promedica Bixby Autism Center. Distribution is entirely domestic and centered on Michigan, though representation has extended into Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, Georgia, and Maryland. There is no proprietary technology, no app, no API, and no external funding; the coalition is a coordinated legal network rather than a single corporate entity. Notable recognition includes individual attorney honors (Super Lawyers, Top 100 Litigator, Best Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent, Pillar of Justice, Women in the Law) and institutional designation as one of the lead counsel teams on the most consequential U.S. sexual abuse settlements of the past decade.

Name

Clergy Abuse Coalition

Legal name

Clergy Abuse Coalition

Website

https://michiganclergysexualabuse.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clergy Abuse Coalition is a plaintiff-side legal coalition of three Michigan law firms that represents survivors of clergy sexual abuse, primarily against Michigan Catholic dioceses, on a contingency-fee basis, and has recovered over $1 billion in cumulative settlements including the $490M University of Michigan/Anderson case.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Southfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Contingency Fee Representation: Legal representation for clergy sexual abuse survivors, likely on a contingency fee basis (no fees unless settlement or judgment is obtained). The coalition has recovered over $1 billion in settlements for clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Clergy Abuse Coalition is a collaboration of three Michigan law firms (Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonnani & Rivers, Grewal Law PLLC, and Sommers Schwartz P.C.) that provides confidential, trauma-informed legal representation to survivors of clergy sexual abuse. The coalition pursues civil claims against the Catholic Church and other institutions on behalf of survivors, offering free initial consultations and handling cases across Michigan Catholic dioceses including Saginaw, Marquette, Kalamazoo, and Gaylord.

Product overview

Clergy Abuse Coalition is a coalition of three Michigan law firms (Sommers Schwartz, P.C., Grewal Law, PLLC, and Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonnani & Rivers) that provides legal representation services for survivors of clergy sexual abuse. The coalition offers a unified platform connecting abuse survivors with experienced attorneys who pursue civil litigation against the Catholic Church and other institutions. The service also includes Resources for Survivors, providing access to external support organizations. The coalition has recovered over $1 billion in settlements for clients, handling landmark cases including Larry Nassar and Robert Anderson abuse cases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clergy Sexual Abuse Legal Representation Direct legal representation services for survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Michigan, connecting victims with experienced attorneys to pursue civil claims against the Catholic Church and other institutions. Services include confidential case intake, trauma-informed investigation, and litigation against Catholic dioceses and related institutions.
• Free Confidential Initial Consultation Free and confidential initial consultation service for potential clients to assess eligibility for representation in clergy sexual abuse claims.
• Resources for Survivors Compiled resources including referrals to sexual abuse support organizations such as RAINN and 1in6 to provide emotional and psychological support for survivors beyond legal representation.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1 billion+ in settlements recovered for hundreds of survivors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonnani & RiverscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three law firms in the Clergy Abuse Coalition. Provides sexual abuse legal representation. Megan Bonanni serves as Equity Partner. Has built national practice representing hundreds of sexual abuse survivors including leadership roles in Nassar and Anderson cases.
• Grewal Law, PLLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three law firms in the Clergy Abuse Coalition. Founded and managed by Manvir (Mick) S. Grewal Sr. Operates out of three offices in Northville, Grand Rapids, and Okemos with more than 100 years of combined experience. Represented 111 of 333 Larry Nassar survivors.
• Sommers Schwartz, P.C.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three law firms in the Clergy Abuse Coalition. Matthew Curtis serves as Senior Shareholder and Board member. Jay Yasso serves as Senior Shareholder. Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller serves as Senior Shareholder and Board member. Nationally recognized personal injury firm.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Manly, Stewart & Finaldi: California-based plaintiff firm specializing in sexual abuse litigation against the Catholic Church and other institutions. It is a direct peer to Clergy Abuse Coalition in subject matter (clergy/institutional abuse), plaintiff contingency model, and national reputation for large sexual abuse settlements.
• Levin & Perconti: Chicago-based plaintiff firm with a dedicated sexual abuse practice representing survivors of clergy and institutional abuse. Comparable to Clergy Abuse Coalition in plaintiff-side contingency work, institutional defendant focus, and Midwest geographic footprint.
• The Zalkin Law Firm: San Diego-based plaintiff firm focused on sexual abuse claims against the Catholic Church and other institutions. Comparable to Clergy Abuse Coalition in subject matter, contingency-fee model, and track record of multi-million and billion-dollar clergy abuse settlements.
• Aegis Law Firm: Plaintiff firm focused on sexual abuse litigation, including clergy abuse cases. Comparable to Clergy Abuse Coalition in subject-matter focus, contingency fee model, and emphasis on representing survivors against large institutional defendants.
• Jeff Anderson & Associates: Jeff Anderson & Associates is one of the most prominent U.S. plaintiff law firms dedicated to clergy and institutional sexual abuse cases. It is the most established direct peer to Clergy Abuse Coalition, with a comparable mission, plaintiff-side contingency model, and nationally recognized track record of clergy abuse settlements.

Broad incumbents

• Weitz & Luxenberg: Large plaintiff mass tort firm handling complex institutional and personal injury litigation, including sexual abuse cases. A broad incumbent peer to Clergy Abuse Coalition in the plaintiff-side mass tort space, but with a much wider practice portfolio.
• Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: Nationally recognized mass tort and class action firm that has handled significant institutional abuse and sexual assault cases. Comparable to Clergy Abuse Coalition as a broad plaintiff-side counterpart with deeper resources but a less specialized focus on clergy abuse specifically.

Others

• Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP): National advocacy and support organization for clergy abuse survivors. Functions as an adjacent ecosystem player to Clergy Abuse Coalition: while not a law firm, SNAP is a top-of-funnel referral source, advocacy counterpart, and ecosystem participant that materially shapes survivor awareness and case acquisition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/clergyabusecoalition

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clergy Abuse Coalition