ALBANY (NY)
Times Union
August 24, 2019
By Steve Hughes
Victims and advocates fought for years to get the Child Victims Act passed and waited for the date that would allow them to file lawsuits, seeking a measure of justice for abuse that in some cases goes back decades.
If other states are any indication, that fight for justice is just beginning.
This month, over 500 suits were filed in the window afforded by New York’s new law. An examination of similar lawsuits in other states shows such cases can take years to resolve. How much the public will eventually learn about the extent of abuse and how it was covered up depends on many factors.
It also shows that settlements from the lawsuits can be a huge financial blow to institutions implicated in the abuse and also drive meaningful changes in their policies toward children.
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