Florida's governor has signed a bill eliminating all time limits for filing criminal or civil action alleging sexual abuse of children.Gov. Charlie Crist signed the bill (HB 525) on Tuesday.
It lifts statutes of limitations for pursuing criminal or civil sexual abuse cases in which victims are younger than 16 at the time of the abuse.
The civil portion was opposed by the Florida Catholic Conference, which contends it would create great uncertainty for any organization.
The Roman Catholic Church has faced numerous lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests.
Florida law previously had various time limits in place for pursuing criminal and civil actions, depending on the age of the child.
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