Scores of people in New York state who were sexually abused as children sued institutions, including the Roman Catholic Church, on Wednesday, the first day a new law temporarily permitted them to file lawsuits over decades-old crimes.
According to a court spokesman, 427 lawsuits had been filed in courts by the close of business on Wednesday.
RELATED STORY:
The Child Victims Act, the state’s landmark new law, includes a provision that lifts a statute of limitations, for one year, that had prohibited older complaints. Critics have said the old law was too restrictive. Although the bulk of the new lawsuits seemed to be against the Church, other lawsuits were filed against individuals, hospitals and schools. At least two people filed a suit against the Boy Scouts of America.
Before the new law, most victims of childhood sexual abuse only had until the age of twenty-three to file criminal charges or to seek damages in civil lawsuits.
RELATED STORY:
Courts in New York have appointed forty-five judges to handle cases under the Child Victims Act, which was passed earlier this year. Going forward, the law also put in place more extended periods for criminal prosecutions and civil actions.
The court system has provided training for judges and put in place rules to speed up the resolution of the lawsuits, many of which may result in monetary awards to victims. Twelve of the judges assigned to the cases will be in New York City.
Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks said in a statement:
“The revived Child Victims Act cases are critically important cases, raising numerous challenging legal issues, that must be adjudicated as consistently and expeditiously as possible.”1
RELATED STORY:
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York said in a statement on Wednesday that the church had expected facing new lawsuits once the new law was enacted. According to Reuters, it also said:
“..it would continue to “invite people to consider” a compensation program created in 2016 for people sexually abused by its clergy, including those previously excluded from suing by the statute of limitations.”1
The Archdiocese said that so far it has paid more than $66 million in compensation to 335 victims. A board of arbitrators determined the payments, which are funded by a loan secured against its high-priced real estate portfolio. These victims, in accepting compensation, have lost their right to sue in court.
RELATED STORY:
The Boy Scouts of America also issued a statement on Wednesday, apologizing to anyone harmed while under the care of the organization, saying it:
“strongly supports efforts to ensure that anyone who commits sexual abuse is held accountable.”1
However, in response to questions about the law, group said:
“We do, however, have concerns with reforms that impose retroactive liability on organizations that did not have actual knowledge of the specific misconduct underlying an allegation of abuse.”1
At least one woman who said she was sexually abused by the late Jeffrey Epstein as a child sued the disgraced financier’s estate early on Wednesday. Similar lawsuits were expected to follow.
After the one-year period expires, victims will have until the age of fifty-five to sue alleged abusers.
Seems like a definite step in the right direction.
Source:
Please get on our update list today, as social media is strangling our reach. Join here: http://healthnutnews.com/join THANK YOU!
