CALIFORNIA
Monterey Herald
By JULIA REYNOLDS
Herald Staff Writer
POSTED: 09/06/2013
After several fits and starts, a bill extending the statute of limitations for some childhood sexual abuse victims was approved by the California Legislature on Friday — paving the way for possible lawsuits against Palma High School in Salinas.
Nine people who say they were abused by priests while attending Palma may be among the first to sue if Gov. Jerry Brown doesn’t veto the bill, known as SB 131.
The bill extends the civil statute of limitations for child sex abuse victims.
Seven of the nine former Palma students say they were sexually assaulted by the Rev. Gerald Funcheon when he was a chaplain at the school from 1984-85. Funcheon, who is still a priest but is housed in a secure “treatment” facility, admitted in sworn testimony last year that he molested one of the men, but denied the others.
The two other alleged victims say they were molested by Brother Marcos Chavira and the late Brother Jerome Heustis.
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