This week, Assembly Democrats have again voted to pass a bill to allow survivors of child sex abuse to seek justice as grown adults. Senate Republicans have been notorious to make sure this bill does NOT get passed, and now the Left is cornering them into doing so. “We must take action to protect victims of childhood sexual abuse and ensure access to justice for survivors,” Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie told the Daily News. “The Assembly majority has long led the way on this important issue and I hope that it can finally become law this year.”
The bill would bring criminal cases up at any point in time until a victim’s 23rd birthday, while civil lawsuits can be filed up until the victim’s 50th birthday, no matter when the abuse was taken upon them.
Public and private institutions will be treated the same way under law. As of now, victims only have 90 days from the time the abuse occurred, to file a claim against school districts and local or state government institutions.
The Child Victims Act has been recently voided by the Republican-controlled Senate after Gov. Cuomo and the Democrat-controlled Assembly tried vehemently to include the act in the budget this year. In the next attempt, the Assembly is currently trying to pass a revised form of Child Victims Act as a standalone bill. Republicans standing in the Senate are open to discussing the revised bill, but are not in a position to passing it just yet.
The biggest hurdle in the bill is the look-back window that allows the reopening of old cases which would put the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Jewish community and The Boy Scouts of America under fire with allegations that have occurred years ago.
If you have been sexually abused, please call our attorneys at Alonso Krangle LLP at 800-403-6191 or through our website at www.fightforvictims.com. Our attorneys are sensitive to your story and will assist you in seeking and receiving the justice you deserve against any person or institution that has failed to protect you.
Please do not hesitate. Call us today to review your legal right.