HAWAII
The Worthy Adversary
Posted by Joelle Casteix on March 23, 2014
From today’s Hawaii Star-Advertiser:
Bills seek more time to file suit
Expanding the current two-year window, which expires next month, is unfair to the accused entities, critics argue
By Derrick DePledge
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Mar 23, 2014
“Did you know these men?”
The question appeared in an ad in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser last Sunday that showed old black-and-white photographs of three Roman Catholic priests linked to child sexual abuse.
Mark Gallagher, a Kailua attorney, and Jeff Anderson, a St. Paul, Minn., attorney, are searching for possible victims of child sexual abuse before a unique two-year window to file civil claims for decades-old misconduct closes on April 24.
Two dozen civil lawsuits have been filed during the past two years in what state lawmakers initially intended as a one-time opportunity to help victims in cases where the statute of limitations had long expired.
But some lawmakers now want to leave the window open longer — perhaps permanently — an idea opposed by the state attorney general’s office and the Catholic Church because it could potentially violate the due process rights of the accused.
Churches and other private organizations could have difficulty defending against claims involving priests and others who may have died or left the church or group. Two of the three priests in the newspaper ad, for example, are dead.
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