SYRACUSE (NY)
Syracuse.com
January 18, 2019
By Julie McMahon
Syracuse Catholic Bishop Robert Cunningham said today he would support a proposed law in New York state giving victims of child sexual abuse more time to file lawsuits.
Cunningham publicly shared his personal views on the Child Victims Act for the first time in a letter to The Post-Standard. He is part of the New York Catholic Conference, which has historically opposed the bill. Cunningham said today it was time for the New York State Legislature to pass and strengthen the proposed law.
The law in previous years failed to pass in the Republican-controlled state Senate. With Democrats in control of both houses in New York state, the Child Victims Act is expected to pass this year. Gov. Andrew Cuomo included it in his budget proposal during his State of the State address earlier this week.
The law would expand the statute of limitation in all criminal felony sex abuse cases involving children. It would allow prosecutors to pursue charges against abusers until the victim turns 28 years old.
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