New York State’s Child Victims Act Goes into Effect August 14 When a One-Year Window Opens for Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse to File Civil Suits Regardless of When the Abuse Occurred
New York, NY (August 1, 2019) – Today, Anderson & Associates, the nation’s premier law firm to represent victims of childhood sexual abuse, released the Anderson Report on Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of New York. The report contains the identities, histories, photographs, and information on 310 clerics accused of child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of New York.
This marks the second time in a week that the Archdiocese of New York has faced accusations of sexual misconduct among its clergy. On July 24, the Ithaca Times reported that Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian would be bringing 75 cases against the Diocese of Rochester, with more likely to come, in anticipation of New York’s Child Victims Act going into effect on August 14.
“Institutions that harbor child sex predators are facing a reckoning,” said Bridie Farrell, CEO of NY Loves Kids and survivor of child sex abuse. “The Child Victims Act has retuned to survivors agency over our own bodies. It has given us the power and ability to come forward, find justice, and hold accountable predators and the institutions who cover for them. The tides have changed, and we can use the Child Victims Act to make our communities safer. It’s about protecting kids, and it’s time for all of us to stand up and stop child sexual abuse.”
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Child Victims Act into law this past February. The law expands the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse, giving survivors until age 55, up from age 23 previously, to file civil suits against the predators who abused them and the institutions that covered up the abuse. In addition, the new law creates a one-year window, opening on August 14, which removes the statute of limitations for civil cases. The one-year window will allow survivors of any age, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred, to levy civil suits, hold child sex predators accountable, and protect kids.
“These allegation against the Archdiocese of New York represent the latest in a long line of institutional cover ups of child sex abuse by the Catholic Church and other organization,” said Jeff Dion, CEO of Zero Abuse Project. “With the Child Victims Act going into effect in just 13 short days, we expect to see thousands of survivors in New York come forward. Institutions who have covered up child sex abuse for decades will finally be held accountable for their actions. Predators will be taken off the street, institutions will be forced to change how they handle child sex abuse within their ranks, and we will be able to protect kids.”
Survivors of child sexual abuse in New York are encouraged to consult the National Crime Victim Bar Association and visit www.victimbar.org/referrals to learn more about the Child Victims Act, who they can speak with, what their options are, and what they may need to file a suit.
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Zero Abuse Project is a national nonprofit dedicated to stopping child sexual abuse. They have held several seminars across New York to educate survivors about their new rights under the Child Victims Act.
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