BINGHAMTON (NY)
The Innovation Trail
June 18, 2018
By Gabe Altieri
Some people abused as children by clergy in the Syracuse Roman Catholic Diocese must decide by June 18 whether to participate in the diocese’s compensation program, or wait to see if state lawmakers pass a bill that would extend the statute of limitations, so they could sue later.
The Diocese of Syracuse includes the Binghamton and Cortland areas.
That bill is the Child Victims Act. Besides extending the statute of limitations for people abused as children to sue, it would also open a one-year window, so that those previously barred through the statute of limitations to bring their case to court could do so.
“But that’s not the law and so we’re stuck with what we have,” said Attorney Mike Reck, who represents victims in the Syracuse Diocese.
Under current law, people abused as children must sue by the time they’re 23. That means one of the only options many victims in Syracuse have is the compensation program, “which is a process that, while it’s not perfect, it does offer some accountability, some measure of justice, and it’s available now,” Reck said.
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