STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS
ARTICLES/INFORMATION/RESEARCH
Report slams NY law barring many child molestation lawsuits
"ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state has one of the worst laws in the nation when it comes to allowing child molestation victims to sue their abusers, according to a new report issued Thursday that comes amid continuing legislative debate over relaxing the rules.
Most states have taken some action to change their criminal or civil statutes of limitations for molestation since the clergy sex abuse scandal erupted in 2002 following an investigation by The Boston Globe, the report found.
New York, however, continues to have one of the shortest statutes of limitations for civil molestation suits in the country even though it has eliminated the criminal statute of limitations for some felony molestation crimes, said University of Pennsylvania professor Marci Hamilton, who conducted the analysis."
NY Daily News, April 13, 2018
Retired Army general who worked in Pentagon charged for rape of a minor in the '80s
" Maj. Gen. James Grazioplene faces six charges for alleged rapes that happened in 1983 and 1989, the Army announced Friday. If convicted, he faces life in prison and the loss of his pension.
The Army released no other details about the case, and it remains unclear why the charges came now."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, April 16, 2017
Child Victims Act advocates to Cuomo: Keep promise to pass law
" Cuomo in January said passage of the Child Victims Act was a top priority this year.
But while his staff continues to meet with advocates behind closed doors, he has barely brought the issue up publicly since January nor has he introduced his own version of a bill that staffers told advocates for weeks was coming."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, June 10, 2017
Dennis Hastert released from prison after serving 15 months over hush money sex abuse payments
" CHICAGO — Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert has been released from prison in Minnesota and transferred to a Chicago re-entry facility, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons records Tuesday.
Hastert was sentenced to 15 months in prison in April 2016 in banking violations case that revealed accusations he had sexually abused teenagers while coaching wrestling at a suburban Chicago high school."
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, July 18, 2017
Statute of Limitations, By State
"Compilation of statute of limitations on sexual assault cases, by state"
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, December, 2016
Illinois Eliminates Statutes of Limitations on Child Sex Abuse Crimes
"Gov. Bruce Rauner on Friday signed into law a bill that eliminates statutes of limitations for all felony criminal sexual assault and sexual abuse crimes against children.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan initiated the bill sponsored by Sen. Scott Bennett and Rep. Michelle Mussman. Effective immediately, the law applies to future felony child sex crime cases as well as current criminal cases in which the previous statute of limitations has not expired.
"Sex crimes against children are a horribly tragic violation of trust that can take a lifetime to recover from," Madigan said in a press release. "This new law will ensure that survivors are provided with the time they need to heal and seek justice.""
Chicago Tonight, August 14, 2017
Priest charged with abusing 15 girls threatened victims with wrath: 'He thought he was God'
" The abusive Catholic priest accused of terrorizing at least 15 girls at a Queens school decades ago once threatened one of his victims into silence with the power of God.
In 1981, Father Adam Prochaski of the Holy Cross Parish in Maspeth allegedly lectured a group of students, including one of his victims, who was then 13, about a woman who was "saying bad things" about him.
"He thought he was God," the now-49-year-old nurse living in Toronto told the Daily News."
NY Daily News, September 28, 2017
N.Y. man who confessed to sexually abusing more than 100 kids set to be released from prison
" He pleaded guilty in 1997 of sexually abusing two young girls, but had told cops at the time of his arrest he was relieved to be caught because he had attacked hundreds of other kids dating back four decades.
Police in Troy said they'd recieved over 100 calls after his arrest, but the other victims couldn't bring cases because the legal timeframe had expired."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, November 29, 2016.
Child abuse survivors PAC targets N.Y. state senator's seat in next election
" ALBANY - A political action committee created by an upstate investor and child sex abuse survivor has its first target - state Sen. Kemp Hannon.
Gary Greenberg said his Fighting for Children PAC is endorsing Democrat Ryan Cronin's challenge to Hannon (R-Nassau County).
Greenberg said he chose to target Hannon first for his stated opposition to a bill to make it easier for child sex abuse victims to seek justice."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, June 19, 2016.
The Catholic Church fails abuse victims: Cardinal Dolan still opposes the one bill that would make a real difference
"Timothy Cardinal Dolan says he is on the side of children and an ally of survivors fighting for the passage of the Omnibus Child Victims Act, which would finally fix New York’s shameful failure to let victims of sexual abuse pursue justice in state courts. He says he supports an even stricter bill — one introduced by Sen. Andrew Lanza and Assemblyman Michael Cusick."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, October 8, 2016.
Priest who demanded homosexuals have a 'celibate life' suspended after being accused of molesting 15-year-old boy in the Bronx
" A priest who once said homosexuals had to live a “celibate life” to be good Catholics has been accused of molesting a 15-year-old boy at a Bronx church about 30 years ago.
But without a change to the statute of limitations on child sex abuse in New York, the alleged crimes committed by the man of the cloth will forever go unpunished."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, September 6, 2016.
California revokes state’s 10-year statute of limitations on rape, sex assault charges after pleas from Bill Cosby’s accusers
" California's governor signed a landmark bill Wednesday abolishing the state's 10-year statute of limitations on rape and sexual assault charges — thanks in large part to the voices of Bill Cosby's accusers.
"It's a tremendous day. I'm just so happy," accuser Beth Ferrier told the Daily News after the news broke."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, September 28, 2016.
N.Y. legislature fails to reach deal for Child Victims Act before legislative session ends
" An all-night session to wrap up up the legislative year did not lead to a last-minute miracle that advocates were hoping for.
“The survivors were thrown a tattered raft in this stormy session,” said Kathryn Robb, an advocate and sexual abuse survivor."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, June 18, 2016.
Pedophilia victims urge N.Y. to scrap statute of limitations on certain child sex abuse charges
" It wasn't until after his 33rd birthday that the crippling flashbacks began for Michael DeSantis.
The one where he's a grammar school kid, innocently riding his skateboard to the apartment of a parish priest. Once inside, he's raped by one cleric and forced to perform oral sex on another.
Or the one where a voice commands, "Give him God's love," before forcing the boy to service a third priest."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, March 29, 2016.
N.Y. law couldn't protect adopted son of accused pedophile after he revealed details
" The law couldn't protect the adopted son of an accused pedophile during eight years of sexual abuse — or after he finally revealed the details of his secret torment.
The 30-year-old victim discovered recently that his sordid tale was useless to police or prosecutors under New York State's oft-maligned statute of limitations law."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, March 28, 2016.
