New York Legislature Punts On Extending Statute of Limitations For Child Sex Abuse Claims

As reported by the New York Daily News, the New York legislature adjourned for the year early last Saturday morning without taking action on a pending bill, the Child Victims Act, that would have extended the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims by 5 years, created a 6-month window for currently stale claims, and treated suits against public and private entities alike. Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Civil and Political Rights, said in a statement posted yesterday that he is proud of his organization's role in preventing enactment of the law, arguing in part:

If the statute of limitations were lifted on offenses involving the sexual abuse of minors, the only winners would be greedy and bigoted lawyers out to line their pockets in a rash of settlements. The big losers would be the poor, about whom the attorneys and activists care little: When money is funneled from parishioners to lawyers, services to the needy suffer.