Catholic Church Lobbied against NY Law for Victims of Child Sex Abuse

By Mark Weiner
Syracuse.com
June 2, 2016

http://www.syracuse.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/06/catholic_church_lobbied_against_ny_law_for_victims_of_child_sex_abuse.html

The New York Catholic Conference headed by Cardinal Timothy Dolan spent more than $2.1 million lobbying state lawmakers since 2007, according to the New York Daily News. Among the issues handled by lobbying firms was an effort to block a law that would make it easier for victims of child sexual abuse to file lawsuits against their abusers. Dolan is shown at Le Moyne College in DeWitt last year, where he delivered the commencement address. (Photo by Elizabeth Doran) (Photo by Elizabeth Doran)

The New York Catholic Conference hired some of the state's most influential lobbying firms to block a bill that would have made it easier for victims of child sex abuse to sue abusers decades later, according to a report by the New York Daily News.

The Catholic Conference headed by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, spent more than $2.1 million on lobbyists from 2007 through last year, the Daily News reported, citing state lobbying records.

The lobbyists disclosed one of their responsibilities was to work on issues regarding civil actions related to sex offenses.

The New York State Senate last week rejected an effort to force a vote on the Child Victims Act, which would have given people sexually abused as children a new one-year window to sue over incidents that occurred decades ago.

The Senate voted 30-29 to block Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan, in his attempt to eliminate the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse. People who were sexually abused as children in New York must initiate criminal charges or a civil suit by the time they reach age 23.

State Sen. John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, is among those who oppose the Child Victims Act. DeFrancisco, a lawyer, has said that a statute of limitations is necessary in such cases.

DeFrancisco's opposition has attracted the attention of Gary Greenberg, a minority owner of the Vernon Downs racino who said he was sexually abused as a child.

Greenberg told syracuse.com that he will spend $100,000 or more this year to try to defeat DeFrancisco and other senators who refuse to support the legislation.

mweiner@syracuse.com