A ‘tidal wave’ of child sexual abuse lawsuits are expected to hit New York State courts this month, as a new law which takes effect on August 14 will allow accusers one year to sue over past sexual abuse claims, regardless of when they occurred.
The Child Victims Act, signed by NY Governor Andrew Cuomo in February, is expected to expose decades-old misconduct at churches, schools, hospitals, youth clubs and more, according to Reuters, citing lawyers for alleged victims.
Under the law signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo in February, New York has gone from one of the toughest states to bring a case because of its strict statute of limitations to one of the easiest, potentially unleashing decades of unresolved claims.
“It’s going to be a tidal wave of litigation,” said lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, best known for representing victims of child abuse by Roman Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Boston.
Cases will cut across society, illustrating the systemic nature of the abuse, victims’ lawyers said, although they expect many of the lawsuits to be against Catholic organizations and the Boy Scouts of America. –Reuters
“We believe victims, we support them, we pay for counseling by a provider of their choice, and we encourage them to come forward,” said the Boy Scouts of America in a statement. – READ MORE