Sex abuse claims in the Catholic Church in West Virginia

West Virginia's civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse extends only 4 years after the survivor turns 18, capped at age 22 — one of the shortest in the country. West Virginia does not have an active lookback window as of February 2026. The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston is one of the most extensively documented recent diocesan abuse scandals: a 2019 Vatican investigation found that former Bishop Michael Bransfield had sexually abused adult minors and seminarians, used diocesan funds for personal benefit, and that the diocese had engaged in years of cover-up. An independent investigation by the law firm Morganroth & Morganroth found extensive financial and sexual misconduct. No bankruptcy has been filed, but the Diocese has settled multiple individual claims. Survivors should consult an attorney about available options, including whether West Virginia's discovery rule provides any extension of the short standard SOL.