States Move to Ease Restrictions on Child Sex-Abuse Lawsuits
The Associated Press’s David Crary reports that changes in state laws will make it easier for sex-abuse survivors to file lawsuits. These shifts are happening in the midst of the Catholic Church’s sex-abuse crisis. New York is expected to soon pass a measure that would extend the time frame for victims pursuing legal action in the future and create a one-year window that allows victims to sue over past claims. Crary writes, “Nationwide, only a handful of states — including California, Minnesota, Delaware and Hawaii — have created these ‘lookback windows’ enabling victims to file civil lawsuits against institutions such as churches and youth groups that bore some responsibility for the abuse.”