Child sex abuse victims sue Catholic Church, other groups in New York after change in law

Source: Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dozens of people in New York state who were victims of sexual abuse as children sued institutions including the Roman Catholic Church in New York on Wednesday, the first day a new law temporarily enabled them to file lawsuits over decades-old crimes.

About 85 people had filed lawsuits against the church in New York by late morning, according to New York County Supreme Court records. Most of them accuse priests of sexually abusing them as children and church leaders of covering up the priests' crimes.

The state's landmark Child Victims Act includes a provision that, beginning Wednesday, lifts for one year a statute of limitations that had barred older complaints and which critics said was too restrictive. The law is expected to lead to hundreds of lawsuits against churches, schools and youth groups.

The change in the law means people of any age in New York state have a year to file a sexual abuse lawsuit against an alleged offender. Previously, most victims of childhood sexual abuse only had till the age of 23 to bring criminal charges or to seek damages in civil lawsuits.



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