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	Justice May Be at Hand The State Supreme Court's Ruling on Sexual Abuse Cases Involving the Milwaukee Archdiocese Finally Gives Victims a Chance to Sue in the State Courts Milwaukee Journal Sentinel July 11, 2007 http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=631959 "Decades have elapsed since the alleged wrongful conduct of the archdiocese occurred. But that should not prevent the plaintiffs from having their day in court." That's the bottom line of a state Supreme Court decision issued Wednesday that said victims of sexual abuse by priests can sue the church for fraud. It's late, and the decision may not go far enough, but the court came to the right conclusion: Victims deserve justice. The quote comes from a dissenting opinion by Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, who, while agreeing with the majority on the fraud issue, argued correctly that the court also should have allowed victims to sue the church for negligent supervision of priests. She was joined in that opinion by Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. The majority disagreed, contending that the statute of limitations applied on the negligence issue. Be that as it may, the court's unanimous ruling on the fraud issue means that victims finally have a chance to seek justice in state courts against a church that allowed its officials to harbor pedophile priests and send them time and again to unwitting parishes where more children were abused. Much has changed in the church and in the Milwaukee Archdiocese since those days, and many significant reforms have been made. Archbishop Timothy Dolan has taken solid steps to reach out to victims and their families, especially in a spiritual and counseling context. But victims of past abuse have been frustrated in Wisconsin by their inability to extract justice from the church through the courts, thanks to an earlier court decision. This decision by the Supreme Court changes that. There are those who will argue that this is just about money - and especially about putting money into the hands of plaintiff's lawyers. But what this is really about is justice. The reality is that in this society at this point in history, justice is often measured in terms of money. Compensation for the suffering of victims is expected. How the church provides that compensation is an internal matter. It is to be hoped that parishioners and their families - and especially Catholic schools and social services - won't suffer. The church does much good work that needs to continue. However it is done, victims deserve justice. And thanks to Wednesday's ruling, they finally have a chance of getting it. In the case of sexual abuse of children, how should the Catholic Church be held accountable for the actions of some of its priests and officials? Send a letter to: Journal Sentinel editorial department
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