NEW YORK
Syracuse.com
By Mike McAndrew | mmcandrew@syracuse.com
on April 23, 2015
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.
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