PROVIDENCE (RI)
Associated Press
January 2, 2019
By Jennifer McDermott
A state lawmaker will try to extend the time limit for filing child sex abuse lawsuits in Rhode Island, with support from the House speaker.
Democratic Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee said Wednesday that she’ll introduce a bill next week to extend the limit for filing civil suits to 35 years, from seven years.
“It gives people time to come to grips with what happened to them and muster the strength to file a lawsuit,” she said. “Seven years is not long enough.”
Democrat Nicholas Mattiello announced Tuesday after he was re-elected House speaker that he’ll work with McEntee on her proposal.
“I hope and expect that we will pass legislation this year that will benefit the victims of sexual assault,” Mattiello said in a statement Wednesday. “I have had discussions with Rep. McEntee in the off-session and we have agreed to work together to achieve a resolution to this important issue.”
Mattiello said he’ll look closely at the approach used in Massachusetts, which has a 35-year limit for civil actions.
McEntee proposed eliminating the statute of limitations altogether last year for child sex abuse civil suits. Her sister, in testifying for that bill, said she was abused by a priest as a child.
The Catholic Diocese of Providence said then that any change should apply only to cases taking place after the new law is passed, and not retroactively. McEntee said she won’t agree to that.
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