NY legal group urges Catholic Church sex abuse survivors to come forward

By Sarah Taddeo
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
November 19, 2018

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2018/11/19/new-york-legal-group-urges-sex-abuse-survivors-come-forward-catholic-church-rochester/2055933002/

File photo: A group of New York lawyers is urging individuals to come forward with allegations of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church, as it is likely that the Child Victim's Act will pass the state Senate in 2019.

A group of U.S. lawyers is publicizing its services to survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, in anticipation of the potential passage of the Child Victim’s Act in the New York state legislature.

Versions of the bill have made their way around the legislature for more than a decade, and while a version passed the Assembly in June 2017, it has yet to pass the Senate.

The bill would extend the age at which individuals can seek criminal charges for sexual abuse from 23 to 28, and the age at which they can seek civil penalties against their abusers from 18 to 50.

State Democrats, who now control both houses of the legislature, have indicated that this issue is a priority for the upcoming session, which starts in January.

The bill has drawn criticism from the Catholic Church and Boy Scouts of America. Some Republicans in the Senate have also raised concern about a provision in the bill that would create a one-year window for past victims of child sexual abuse to sue their abusers, regardless of how long ago the abuse took place or the current age of the victim.

In advertisements, a group called New York Sex Abuse Attorneys, in connection with Marsh Law Firm PLLC, which has several offices in the New York City-Long Island area, urged sexual abuse survivors in Rochester and elsewhere to contact them for a free consultation. The group includes lawyers from New York and several other states who have experience representing victims of sexual abuse and exploitation.

Based on its website, the group is currently talking to individuals in connection to the late Reginald Archibald, a doctor who is accused of engaging in inappropriate conduct with a number of patients at Rockefeller University Hospital in New York City.

Boston lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, who has worked with sexual abuse victims for decades, visited Rochester last year to discuss eight priests in the Rochester Diocese who have been accused of sexual abuse by 15 men and women. Garabedian originally said he'd worked with 17 individuals bringing abuse allegations in Rochester, but added that 16 more came forward locally after the original press conference in early June. 

He also worked with people who said they'd been abused by priests in Buffalo and Syracuse, and he has represented over 3,000 victims of clergy abuse over his career.