Religious Leaders Battle Abuse Bill in New York

[moobu2]

Roman Catholic and Orthodox Jewish officials in New York are mounting an intense lobbying effort to block a bill before the State Legislature that would temporarily lift the statute of limitations for lawsuits alleging the sexual abuse of children.

A perennial proposal that has been quashed in past years by Republicans who controlled the State Senate, the bill is now widely supported by the new Democratic majority in that chamber, and for the first time is given a good chance of passing.

If signed by Gov. David A. Paterson, a longtime supporter, the bill would at minimum revive hundreds of claims filed in recent years against Catholic priests and dioceses in New York, but dismissed because they were made after the current time limit, which is five years after the accuser turns 18. Similar legislation has passed in Delaware and in California, where a 2003 law led to claims that have cost the church an estimated $800 million to $1 billion in damages and settlements.

The rekindled prospects of the New York bill, known as the Child Victims Act, come at a delicate juncture for the Archdiocese of New York, the nation’s flagship see, where Cardinal Edward M. Egan is scheduled to hand over the reins in April. His successor, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of Milwaukee, was so hard hit by settlements for past abuse by priests in that archdiocese that he was forced to put its headquarters up for sale.

“We believe this bill is designed to bankrupt the Catholic Church,” said Dennis Poust, spokesman for the New York State Catholic Conference, a group representing the bishops of the state’s eight dioceses. He said that Cardinal Egan and Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio of Brooklyn visited Albany this week to voice their opposition, and that a statewide network of Catholic parishioners had bombarded lawmakers via e-mail.

NYT

[pleah]

1. Well, of course they are.

They don't want to be held accountable for their past sins.

[av8rdave]

4. All they have ever cared about is the disposition of the offenders

The victims and the shattered lives have never mattered to the senior management of the catholic church.

During the whole pedophilia scandal, church officials (up to and including the Pope) never would say anything about what the church would do to reach out to and try to help heal the victims.

Disgusting.

[ACTION BASTARD]

2. As a recovering Catholic this bit of news delights me most gleefully.

[Ian David]

3. I wonder why...

Black Collar Crime and Douchebaggery Report for March 12, 2009
Topic started by Ian David on Mar-12-09 10:06 AM (0 replies)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=214&topic_id=200070


Black Collar Crime and Douchebaggery Report for March 10, 2009
Topic started by Ian David on Mar-10-09 10:39 AM (5 replies)
Last modified by Ian David on Mar-11-09 06:18 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=214&topic_id=199642


Black Collar Crime and Douchebaggery Report for September 18, 2008
Topic started by IanDB1 on Sep-18-08 11:23 AM (0 replies)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=214&topic_id=183781



NY yeshiva sued over 'sexual abuse'
Topic started by IanDB1 on Apr-01-08 09:47 PM (3 replies)
Last modified by HawkeyeX on Apr-01-08 10:17 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=214&topic_id=168102


Ex-Brooklyn rabbi likely to be dragged back to Brooklyn to face kid-sex charges
Topic started by IanDB1 on Nov-18-07 08:27 AM (2 replies)
Last modified by trotsky on Nov-18-07 04:18 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=214&topic_id=154936

[CoffeeCat]

5. The church keeps insisting...

..that they care so much about the little children.

They don't give a flying flip.

They are monsters.

They created these victims, then they deny these children justice--while the Pope gallivants
around the world--saying that he loves the little children and how awful the sexual abuse
of children is.

While the Pope was in the United States, my brother in law was involved in a trial against
a priest. Several children came forward to allege that he had sexually abused them.

My brother in law is a physician, and the attorney for the pedophile priest insisted that
my brother in law broke the law by waiting so long to report that he had been molested--because
he is a "mandatory reporter" by law because he is a physician. They used that to paint my
brother in law as irresponsible and a liar.

They also put his wife on the stand and interrogated her. Because my BIL was so ashamed by what
this priest had done, he hadn't told anyone about the abuse. Not even his wife. They used that
information to suggest that BIL was lying, "Well, if he didn't even tell you--his wife--doesn't that
strike you as odd?"

If there is a God, he will bankrupt this perverted, evil institution.

[JerseygirlCT]

6. There should be absolutely no statute of limitations on this. nt

[struggle4progress]

7. There should be a statute of limitations: allegations of criminal behavior, even if

unproven, are damaging to reputations

When there is a potential monetary reward, for alleging criminal behavior, such allegations might occur without any real evidence, long after the alleged behavior supposedly occurred. In such cases, the accused faces a possibly extensive and expensive defense, which may not clear his/her reputation, even if the criminal or civil case fails as a matter of law, and the only other real option may be a convenience settlement (for the sake of saving time or money), which certainly leaves reputation damaged, even if no guilt is proved or even acknowledged

As a general rule, evidence available for proving or refuting charges is lost with the progression of time: potential witnesses die or become senile or move away and cannot be found; records of schedules disappear into trashcans. Some of the Catholic abuse allegation suits concern events that supposedly occurred more than fifty year before the suit was filed, and I doubt most people could easily defend themselves against such a suit, because what could one really say, other than I'm not like that, and I don't remember doing any such thing?

I have no absolute opinion about the optimal statute of limitations for a sexual abuse allegation, but once the allegedly offended party has reached legal majority, it is reasonable to start a clock that gives the person a few years to sort themselves out and then tolls an end

[Why Syzygy]

10. This bill

doesn't open the door to criminal prosecutions. It covers only a civil case. It would also extend the statute of limitations from five years to ten. The main objection I perceive, is that it applies to religious institutions but not public schools.

[struggle4progress]

11. Thanks for the info. Probably statutes of limitations for civil suits should be

shorter than similar statutes for criminal suits, since the complainant has a lower evidentiary standard for civil suits, which means that the defendant's need to be able to produce evidence is correspondingly higher

If it primarily targets religious institutions, then I wouldn't regard it as ideal policy, since I can't see any reason that a statute of limitations for a personal injury should depend much on the exact environment in which the alleged injury occurred -- good law should be general, as far as possible

[ZombieHorde]

8. I am amazed by how many people give the Catholic church money.

They know the money will be spent on keeping child molesters on the street. What other organization would get away with this sort of behavior in the U.S.?

[laconicsax]

9. Is this one of those "Catholic bashing" threads I've heard so much about?

:shrug: