PENNSYLVANIA
CBS Philly
June 13, 2016 By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) — A state Senate committee Monday tackled the question of whether a bill that would allow retroactive lawsuits by adults who were sexually abused as children would hold up under the Pennsylvania constitution.
The Senate is considering a House-passed bill that would eliminate the criminal statute of limitations in future cases, and would give victims of child sex abuse more time to bring civil cases. One provision would allow victims to bring civil suits even in cases where the statute of limitations has already expired.
Bruce Castor, now second-in-command to Attorney General Kathleen Kane, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that provision would violate the Pennsylvania constitution.
“The General Assembly, in its zeal, cannot overrule a state constitutional right,” Castor said.
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