Bill to allow more sexual abuse suits in NY cites Syracuse University scandal

By Mike Mcandrew
Syracuse.com
April 24, 2015

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2015/04/bill_to_allow_more_sexual_abuse_suits_in_ny_cites_syracuse_university_scandal.html

The Catholic church is opposing efforts in New York to allow alleged sex abuse victims to sue after the statute of limitations has expired.

Currently, victims have only until they turn 23 to seek charges or file a civil suit.

A bill pending in the state Legislature would create a one-year window for anyone to file lawsuits no matter when the alleged abuse occurred.

Assemblywoman Margaret Markey, D-Maspeth, makes reference in the sponsor's memo of the bill to the allegations against former Syracuse University basketball assistant coach Bernie Fine, although the memo does not mention Fine by name.

"The Syracuse University, Penn State University, and the Horace Mann school scandals have shown us that now more than ever we need to change how we view the statute of limitations in cases of child sexual abuse," the memo says.

Two former Syracuse University ball boys, stepbrothers Bobby Davis and Mike Lang, publicly accused Fine in 2011 of molesting them decades before when they were children. Syracuse police and federal prosecutors investigated the allegations for a year before announcing that they would not charge Fine. The U.S. Attorney's office said that it had not developed sufficient credible evidence of a prosecutable offense. Through his attorney, Fine has denied any wrongdoing.

Davis and Lang appeared at a news conference with Markey in 2012 in Albany to back her bill.

New York's Catholic Conference says allowing claims of decades-old abuse would cause the church "catastrophic financial harm."

A similar law in California passed in 2002 resulted in dioceses paying $1.2 billion in settlements.

Assembly members Sam Roberts, D-Syracuse, and Al Stirpe, D-Cicero, are among the co-sponsors of the Child Victims Act this year, which has not come up for a vote in the Assembly.

The Assembly has passed versions of Markey's Child Victims Act four times since 2006, but the Senate has not voted on the bill.

Bill supporters say current laws fail to acknowledge the seriousness of sex abuse — or that victims often struggle for years before stepping forward.

The measure would entirely eliminate the statute of limitations on abuse cases going forward.