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	Top Court Says Time Limits Apply in Church Abuse Cases ChannelCincinnati.com May 31, 2006 http://www.channelcincinnati.com/news/9297658/detail.html COLUMBUS -- Adults who accuse priests of abusing them when they were children must follow two-year time limits for filing lawsuits despite the trauma of sexual abuse, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The law requires suing by age 20, which is two years after reaching adulthood, for allegations dating back to the person's childhood. "Although we acknowledge the complex emotional issues of plaintiffs who allege that they have been the victims of sexual abuse, we are constrained by the law as it exists today," said the opinion by Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton. The 5-2 ruling overturns a decision by an appellate court that revived the case of a 36-year-old "John Doe" who sued the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk and the former Rev. Thomas Hopp. The man's attorneys had argued the church wielded so much power over victims that they often blamed themselves for the abuse and needed more time to sue. Hopp acknowledged abusing children, was removed from ministry in 2002 and permanently banned from priestly work by the Vatican last year. The victim in this case came forward only after learning Hopp had been accused of abusing other children. Several lawsuits by people who said they were abused as children have accused the archdiocese and Pilarczyk of negligently hiring child-abusing priests and hiding the abuse. Most cases were thrown out because they were not filed within the time limits. A new state law that takes effect in August extends the time limit for future victims to 12 years after reaching adulthood, or age 30. But lawmakers removed a provision that would have opened a one-year window for past victims to sue the church over cases up to 35 years ago.
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