New York legislation to relax one of the nation's most restrictive
statutes of limitations on child molestation victims continues to stall
under pressure from the Roman Catholic Church and other opponents.
The bill has circled the drain in Albany for a decade, but victims
and advocates are optimistic this year because they've gained a key
supporter, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The fate of the Child Victims
Act could rest with Senate Leader John Flanagan, a Long Island
Republican, who supporters say has refused to meet to discuss the bill.
"They are denying us our day in court," said Bridie Farrell, 35, a
former competitive speed skater and a leading advocate for the bill.
Four years ago Farrell publicly accused a former teammate and mentor
of repeatedly abusing her when he was 33 and she was 15 — too long ago
to file charges or a civil suit. "They are protecting the institutions
of the abusers."
Currently, under New York law, victims of child sexual abuse have
until age 23 to bring either criminal charges or file a lawsuit against
their alleged abusers.
It's one of the tightest statutes of limitations
in the country, a distinction that advocates say puts New York in the
company of states like Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and Michigan.
Massachusetts, another heavily Catholic state, gives victims up to 35
years to sue. Ohio and Pennsylvania both give victims until age 30.
The proposal before lawmakers would eliminate the statute of
limitations on abuse cases going forward and create a one-year window to
allow for lawsuits no matter when the abuse occurred.
Supporters say it
often takes victims of child sex abuse years or even decades to report
their abusers or pursue criminal or civil cases.
A similar law in California, passed in 2002, resulted in Catholic dioceses there paying $1.2 billion in legal settlements
The Roman Catholic Church is the most vocal opponent of the New York
bill, saying the one-year window for civil suits alleging abuse would
financially devastate the church, already reeling from the expense of
earlier legal settlements.
The New York Archdiocese is seeking to
mortgage land it owns near St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan to raise
$100 million for settlements.
Instead, the state's Catholic Conference supports alternative
legislation that would eliminate the criminal statute of limitations on
child sex crimes and give victims until they are 28 to file civil suits.
It would not create a window for civil molestation lawsuits now barred
by the statute of limitations.
"The bishops feel strongly that we need to do more to protect
children from abuse and give survivors of abuse more time to seek
justice," said Dennis Poust, spokesman for the Catholic Conference.
"Our
only objection is with that retroactive window which comes without any
caps on either time or dollars. Any organization that deals with
children would be looking at potential catastrophic liability when
you're looking at cases from the '50s and '60s."
Supporters, however, say many potential plaintiffs could be people in
their late 20s, 30s and 40s whose abusers may still be in a position of
power over minors. They say their requests for a meeting with Flanagan
to discuss his concerns have been ignored.
Flanagan's spokesman, Scott Reif, said advocates have met with senior
staff and other lawmakers. He said Senate Republicans continue to
examine the issue.
Cuomo included a proposal similar to the legislation sought by advocates in his annual list of legislative goals this year.
"These survivors deserve justice, plain and simple," Cuomo said in a
statement to The Associated Press. "Giving victims the opportunity to
advance their claims in court is the right thing to do, and I urge the
Legislature to join me and pass this measure once and for all."
Kathryn Robb says she was molested in a Catholic school on Long
Island as a child. Now a mother of five and living in Massachusetts,
Robb helped pass reforms in that state. She returned to New York this
month to work on the effort here.
She noted that lawmakers often tout their work to toughen penalties
for sex offenders, and the Senate has voted to adjust the statute of
limitations when it comes to exposure to environmental contaminants or
Agent Orange.
"Don't victims of child sexual abuse have the same right?" she said. "I'm willing to fight as long as it takes."