PENNSYLVANIA
Philly.com
Stephen E. Jenkins
is a lawyer in Wilmington
Pennsylvania House Bill 1947, which has now been sent to the Pennsylvania Senate, would largely eliminate the statute of limitations relating to allegations of child sexual abuse by private parties. Among other things, it would allow civil claims for abuse to be brought at any time until a victim is 50 years old. In addition, some – but not most – victims will be allowed to sue for abuse that happened decades ago.
Many politicians and plaintiffs’ lawyers say that this represents long-needed “reform” and “justice.” I have a different perspective.
I was the volunteer attorney for a variety of Catholic institutions in Delaware after a similar bill was passed. Far from justice and reform, I saw the devastation it caused and the unfairness it created.
Supporters of HB 1947 claim that not one school, church, or charitable activity has been closed down in states that have passed similar legislation. That claim is wrong.
In Delaware, for example, one excellent inner-city school, St. Paul’s, which served a primarily poor Hispanic population, was forced to shutter its doors because the money it needed to operate went instead to settle lawsuits. Another school, Pope John Paul II, closed only months after the settlement because it had a sudden financial emergency and the money for such emergencies had been taken for the settlement.
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