ALBANY (NY)
Newday
BY CAROL EISENBERG
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
January 4, 2006
ALBANY - For the 37 men and five women who say they were molested by Roman Catholic priests as children and teenagers in Brooklyn and Queens, it was their last best hope.
For the church, it was a last effort to quash a novel legal argument that could energize other expired cases of priest sex abuse and mean huge financial liability.
Both sides squared off yesterday before the state's highest court over whether New York's strict statutes of limitation should be waived to allow days in court for several dozen adults who were abused, in some cases, decades ago.
A ruling in favor of the victims would likely force dioceses across the state, including Rockville Centre and the Archdiocese of New York, to face numerous suits that were dismissed because of time bars.