California Bill Would Extend Deadline on Child Sex Abuse Lawsuits

By Max Pringle
Valley Public Radio
August 15, 2013

http://kvpr.org/post/california-bill-would-extend-deadline-child-sex-abuse-lawsuits

Credit Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

A bill that would extend California’s statute of limitations on civil suits for victims of childhood sexual abuse has stalled in an Assembly Committee.

Democratic Senator Jim Beall says his bill would bring a measure of justice to people who may just now be coming to terms with childhood trauma.

“When they discover later in life, through therapy or whatever, that they were attacked by somebody, it allows them to go to civil court," says Beall.

Under the bill, anyone 26 and older would get an extra year to seek damages against institutions that failed to prevent abuse.

But, Kevin Eckery with the California Catholic Conference says the measure unfairly singles out private institutions.

“Nobody who may have been abused in a public daycare will have any rights under this law whatsoever. It makes no sense," says Eckery.

The bill will be reconsidered next week.