Lawsuit Under Child Victims Act Filed Against Boys & Girls Club of Western Broome

By Briana Supardi
Fox 40 WICZ
August 29, 2019

http://www.wicz.com/story/40982102/lawsuit-under-child-victims-act-filed-against-boys-and-girls-club-of-western-broome

A lawsuit has been filed against the Boys & Girls Club of Western Broome alleging a former swim instructor, Gerald Berg, sexually abused a 14-year old boy at the club between the years of 1975 and 1977. 

Filed on August 16, 2019, the lawsuit comes after the passage of the Child Victims Act, which provides a one-year window for filing old civil claims for child sexual abuse in New York with no age or time limit.

The Child Victims Act also increased the statute of limitations for reporting sexual abuse, allowing child victims to seek prosecution against their abuser until the age of 55 in civil cases, instead of the previous limit of age 23. For criminal cases, victims can pursue legal action until age 28. 

Under the name "John Doe," the lawsuit's plaintiff is seeking monetary damages from the Boys & Girls Club. The lawsuit alleges the abuse occurred because employees of the Club were not properly screened. 

Fox 40 asked Board Member Christopher Roma if this lawsuit was a factor in the recent decision to close down the club. 

Roma responded saying "Unfortunately, I can not comment on that because it's pending litigation. That's not something I can comment on."