NEW YORK
WIVB
By Marissa Perlman, News 4 Reporter
Published: March 6, 2017
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Victims of child sex abuse in New York say they’re being denied their day in court. They say of the catholic church and other powerful groups are stopping lawmakers from passing a bill.
It would change the statute of limitations on filing criminal charges against an abuser.
The bill would create a one-year window to allow for lawsuits no matter when the abuse occurred. The church says this would cause the institution financial harm if they became responsible for decades-old cases that would open only civil cases. They also say it wouldn’t actually put any offenders behind bars.
In a statement, the New York State Catholic Conference says,
“The Catholic Church has zero tolerance for sexual abuse and supports proposals in the New York State Legislature to extend the time allowed under the law to file criminal charges or civil lawsuits against those who abuse children.
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