MINNESOTA
Legal Examiner
Posted by Mike Bryant
July 31, 2014
The Minnesota Child Victims Act is now a year old and has two more years to go. The Minneapolis Tribune took time for the anniversary to look at how it is going. The story was interesting for its overview, but there are areas that are worth looking at a little closer.
The headlines of the story were interesting. In the paper the headline was: Abuse Law Unleashes Firestorm On Church and in the internet version it was: Minnesota Child Victim’s Act Generates Nearly 40 Lawsuits, Church Reforms. The law didn’t start things. The abuse that has been hidden for years is what created the firestorm. The hiding is what caused the need for the law.
The numbers are interesting. There have already been over 40 lawsuits against 30 different priests. In comparison, the story points out the other states which have had open window laws:
California witnessed more than 1,100 lawsuits during its one-year window, Hamilton said. About 170 lawsuits were filed in Delaware and about 75 in Hawaii during their two-year windows.
It may be a little early to really compare the numbers. It also should really look at the number of disclosed pedophiles who were credibly accused. Minnesota has over 100 disclosed already.
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