A bill to extend the statute of limitations on child molestation to give victims more time to seek justice is expected to easily pass the New York legislature Monday.
The scheduled vote on the Child Victims Act in the Democrat-led Senate and Assembly comes after years of unsuccessful efforts to pass the legislation. While it’s been endorsed by the Assembly repeatedly, the act was blocked by Senate Republicans. Democrats won control of the chamber last fall, however, and say passing the act is one of their top priorities for 2019.
“The gates to our courts and to justice will soon finally swing wide open to the survivors of child sexual abuse who have been silenced for so long,” said Manhattan Democrat Linda Rosenthal, the Assembly sponsor of the bill. “Those days are now behind us.”
Current law gives victims until age 23 to file civil cases or seek criminal charges. Under the act, victims could file civil suits until age 55 and seek criminal charges until age 28.
The one-year litigation window for past claims now barred by the statute of limitations has been the sticking point, with large private institutions such as the Catholic Church warning that it could cause catastrophic financial harm to any organization that cares for children. The church had also opposed a loophole in the law that they said would have unfairly shielded public schools.
The church supports the extension of the statute of limitations going forward, however, and recently dropped its opposition to the overall bill after the sponsors agreed to make it apply equally to public and private institutions.
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo supports the bill and has said he will sign it into law.
“Whoever abuses a child should be held liable,” Cuomo said Friday. “I don’t care if you’re rich, I don’t care if you’re powerful, I don’t care if you’re a rabbi, a priest or a shoemaker. Whoever abuses a child should be liable.”
(AP)
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6 Responses
Wow Cuomo is willing to sign a law to give more power and rights to children of abuse on the other hand is willing to giving mothers the ability to murder their babies up till 6 months in their stomach. What a hypocrite. He is a thug and has the blood of every child that is murdered by their own mother because of his law he signed into effect. New York is turning into sedom and amora.
The only real issue with this is that it makes yeshivos, schools, shuls, churches, etc. open season. While the false accusation matter was a real one, but not all that common, this legislation implies that anyone voicing a claim is entitled to major compensation. Where I once was willing to benefit of doubt to someone reporting they were victimized, I no longer can.
This is also no longer a matter that needs to be addressed to insure safety for children. It has been converted into a campaign of revenge that will be exploited, and not turned into something to improve the safety of our children. Legislation was needed, but I do not see this fulfilling the real needs.
a rabbi a priest and a shoemaker I didn’t see an imam, shocker
How can one prove they were molested as a child by a particular person?
The bill is targetted against the Roman Catholic Church was is very large, with many assets (many of which are non-liquid), and is so big the right-hand does not know what the left-hand is doing, but that doesn’t affect the fact that the “Church” is liable for any civil judgements against . Since Jewish institutions are all autonomous, and usually trying to solvent and often faking solvency, we are “judgement proof”. The statute is a boon to the “Trial Bar” who aren’t going to waste time suing defenants who lack “deep pockets”.
Ebrt0113, New York law has permitted abortions up through the 24th week of pregnancy since 1970. The new law does not change that.