ILLINOIS
Daily Herald
The Survivors Network of Those Abused By Priests — which has chapters in Chicago, Rockford and Peoria — is calling on Illinois lawmakers to expand the statute of limitations in sex abuse cases to allow victims to file criminal charges retroactively. They made the request after it was revealed last week that an accuser is expected to testify at former House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s sentencing next month.
Hastert pleaded guilty last October to violating bank laws as he sought to pay $3.5 million to ensure someone stayed quiet about past misconduct allegations, which dated back to when he coached wrestling at Yorkville High School. In this particular case, there are no charges of sexual abuse because it’s outside the statute of limitations in place more than 30 years ago. “Hastert might have been exposed years earlier had Illinois lawmakers reformed the state’s archaic, predator-friendly statute of limitations,” network officials say.
Gov. Pat Quinn in 2014 signed a law that removes the statute of limitations for abuse occurring after Jan. 1, 2014, but survivors of abuse before that time are still subject to the law that was in place at the time of their abuse.
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