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	Ohio Appeals Court Rejects Time Limit for Filing Abuse Lawsuit against Priest The Associated Press, carried in Cincinnati Enquirer [Lima OH] March 10, 2005 LIMA - An appeals court ruled that a sexual abuse lawsuit filed against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati can continue even though the deadline for filing it was missed. Ohio's 3rd District Court of Appeals said the statute of limitations should not apply because the archdiocese did not tell authorities about the alleged abuse and concealed it. The ruling released Monday reversed a Shelby County Common Pleas Court decision to throw out the lawsuit because the alleged victim did not file it within two years after turning 18. The archdiocese will appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court, spokesman Dan Andriacco said. The victim said he was abused as a minor by the Rev. Thomas Hopp of Cincinnati. Hopp admitted in 2002 that he abused the victim and was removed from ministry, Andriacco said. "This is the only one that's gone against us, and we believe it was wrongly decided," he said. The appellate court returned the case to Common Pleas Court. "This is the first court of appeals in Ohio to rule in favor of a victim in terms of statute of limitations," said Konrad Kircher, an attorney who filed the suit. David Clohessy, head of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the ruling would give victims a chance to have their case decided by a jury.
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