ALBANY (NY)
Fox 23
(Albany, NY) AP 01/03/06 -- The state's highest court hears arguments Tuesday in the case of a Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a Utica teenager more than 30 years ago.
The outcome could set the standard for dozens of similar cases statewide.
The issue is whether someone can bring an abuse lawsuit against a priest long after the statute of limitations has expired and whether the Syracuse Diocese acted in a way that led the alleged victim to keep silent for many years.
Two lower courts dismissed John Zumpano's $150 million lawsuit against the Reverend James Quinn. The lawsuit accuses Quinn of sexually abusing Zumpano while he was a student at St. Agnes Church in Utica during the 1960s. Quinn has denied the allegations.