Right on the heels of failed attempts of New York lawmakers to adjust and fix the statute of limitations that blockades victims of years long sexual abuse from seeking and receiving justice, yet another allegation of abuse has been wiped clean. One of America’s highest-ranking prelate, former D.C Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has been accused of sexual abuse, and heartbreakingly enough, victim will never receive peace of mind.
The news came in last Wednesday by Cardinal Timothy Dolan and stated that a board review found the molestation claim credible. The allegation states that when McCarrick was a monsignor in New York City in the early 1970’s he had molested an altar boy in St. Patrick’s Cathedral before Christmas masses in 1971 and 1972.
The victim sought out compensation and resolve through Dolan’s independent compensation fund which was aptly built in 2016 as a mechanism to transfer restitution to sex abuse victims. This fund has brought hundreds of victims some peace and a sense of resolution. Over $40 million dollars has been distributed to abused victims in just a little over two years. However, this fund was never intended to serve as a replacement for altering the statute of limitations.
Currently, under statute, young victims have only until the age of twenty-three to state a criminal complaint against their sex offender or until the age of twenty-one to file a civil claim against the individual abuser or the institution that may have abetted the abuse. The most intense version of the Child Victims Act has asked for the deadline for victims for civil claims to be extended up to 50 years after the offense had occurred. Of course, it was not accepted into the budget and was rejected by the Republicans and most importantly, the Catholic church.
If you have been sexually abused please call our clergy abuse lawyers 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 recourse and the compensation you deserve. We will fight together against your abuser or any institution that has failed to protect you. Please do not hesitate.Call us today to review your legal rights.