MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio
by Sasha Aslanian, Minnesota Public Radio
April 19, 2013
ST. PAUL, Minn. — As the state Legislature nears a vote on a controversial bill that would give victims of sexual abuse more time to sue, a new book chronicles the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, including some key characters and cases from Minnesota.
Some victim advocates are pursuing legislation to remove statutes of limitations in abuse cases, a step they see as a final frontier in the reckoning they seek with the church.
The Child Victims Act before the Senate would drop Minnesota’s statute of limitations for civil suits involving child sexual abuse. The House version would create a three-year window for victims to bring old cases.
In Minnesota, victims of childhood sexual abuse must file civil suits before they turn 24 – a stricter threshold than many states. Four states have eliminated statutes of limitations for these kinds of cases, and three others have opened windows for victims to file.
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