PHILADELPHIA (PA)
KYW Newsradio
February 13, 2019
By Steve Tawa
The parents of a man who won what may be the largest payout to date from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in a clergy abuse case are donating a chunk of it to CHILD USA to track the Statute of Limitations reform movement.
University of Pennsylvania Law School professor Marci Hamilton, a nationally-recognized advocate for survivors of clergy sex abuse, believes that 26-year-old Sean McIlmail, a former student in a northeast parish, died of a heroin overdose in 2013 because he was unable to cope.
“He was under tremendous pressure, because he was the only victim who could go after a prosecution of a priest,” Hamilton said.
She says that was due to Pennsylvania’s exceedingly short limit to file a lawsuit. He was about to testify against a now-defrocked priest, Robert Brennan.
Hamilton says public pressure is forcing state legislatures to allow child abuse victims to go after the Roman Catholic Church.
“Over half of the states this year have already introduced legislation to expand or eliminate the criminal and civil statutes of limitations. That’s a record,” she said.
Sean’s father, Michael, a former Philadelphia police officer, recalls the church approaching the family to donate part of their settlement to the church to deal with abusive priests. They decided instead, to give it to Hamilton’s CHILD USA.
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