COLUMBUS (OH)
Toledo Blade
By JIM PROVANCE
BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU
COLUMBUS - Tears stained the face of Toledo firefighter Tony Comes as the Ohio Senate yesterday unanimously approved a bill that would briefly open the courthouse doors to alleged victims of sexual abuse at the hands of clergy as long ago as 1970.
It was an emotional vote, but the courts may ultimately decide whether it was a constitutional vote. The bill faces a tougher time in the House.
The Senate voted to lengthen the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits involving child sexual abuse to 20 years. The clock would not start ticking until the victim reaches the age of 18, meaning litigation could remain a possibility until the age of 38.
The bill also opens a rare one-year "look back" window for prior child victims who claim they were victimized years ago but were locked out of the courthouse because they were not ready to face the issue by the time the current statute of limitations expired two years after they reached adulthood.
While the bill applies to all childhood sex abuse victims, the senators acknowledged they were largely talking about the Catholic church. Allegations of abuse by priests and subsequent cover-ups by the church have led to a flurry of lawsuits, out-of-court settlements, and public apologies from the pulpit.
Posted by kshaw at March 17, 2005 07:27 AM