Child sex abuse lawsuit window again gets Pa. lawmakers’ OK
1 year, 10 months ago

Child sex abuse lawsuit window again gets Pa. lawmakers’ OK

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Victims would be able to sue over otherwise outdated claims of child sexual abuse under two pieces of legislation passed Friday by the Pennsylvania House, but it’s unclear whether the state Senate will take them up. “It should not have taken this long.” Political momentum to provide a way for those victims to sue was generated largely by a series of revelations regarding sexual abuse of children in the state by Roman Catholic clergy, but the proposed two-year window would apply to all victims who have not been able to sue under the narrow time limits formerly allowed by state law. “So many children, so much evil, so many nightmares.” It’s unclear what will happen to the bills in the Senate, which voted Jan. 11 for the constitutional amendment in a bundle with two other Republican priorities: expanded voter ID requirements and a lower threshold to invalidate state regulations pushed through by a governor’s administration. “I want justice for the victims, but it’s got to fall on the people that committed these crimes,” said Rep. Eric Davanzo, a Republican from Westmoreland.

Victims Child Senate Republican House Democrat Rozzi  child  senate  republican  pa  ok  lawsuit  gregory  state  justice  abuse  amendment  lawmakers  constitutional  sex  window  house  victims  gets  legislation

History of this topic

Lawsuits claim 66 people were abused as children in Pennsylvania’s juvenile facilities
7 months ago

Lawsuits claim 66 people were abused as children in Pennsylvania’s juvenile facilities

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Dozens of children suffered physical and sexual abuse including violent rapes inside juvenile detention centers and similar facilities in Pennsylvania, according to four related lawsuits filed Wednesday. Instead, they had trauma inflicted upon them.” The lawsuits name the state-run Loysville Youth Development Center, South Mountain Secure Treatment Unit and North Central Secure Treatment Unit in Danville; Merakey …

Partisan stalemate keeps child sexual assault lawsuit window from advancing in Pennsylvania
1 year, 6 months ago

Partisan stalemate keeps child sexual assault lawsuit window from advancing in Pennsylvania

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Child sexual abuse survivors pressed Pennsylvania lawmakers Monday to move ahead with opening a two-year window for them to file otherwise outdated lawsuits over their claims, but a partisan fight in the Legislature kept the proposal bottled up with no resolution in sight. Amid the stalemate, survivors renewed calls for the Legislature to pass either version of …

New Pa. speaker puts sexual abuse lawsuit window atop agenda
1 year, 11 months ago

New Pa. speaker puts sexual abuse lawsuit window atop agenda

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s new state House speaker declared Friday that no other legislation will be taken up by his chamber until it approves a constitutional amendment granting child sexual abuse victims the power to file what would otherwise be outdated claims. Rozzi previously led efforts to provide a two-year “window” during which abuse victims may sue, including his work …

Lawmakers move closer to letting child sex abuse victims sue
3 years, 8 months ago

Lawmakers move closer to letting child sex abuse victims sue

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — For the first time, prominent Republican state senators on Wednesday put their support behind legislation in Pennsylvania to change the law to allow now-adult victims of child sexual abuse to sue the perpetrators or institutions that did not prevent it when it happened years or decades ago. The vote, 11-3, in the Senate Judiciary Committee comes after …

State House advances 2-year child sex abuse lawsuit window
3 years, 8 months ago

State House advances 2-year child sex abuse lawsuit window

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania House approved a bill Wednesday to establish a two-year window for civil claims over childhood sexual abuse, part of a belt-and-suspenders approach that also includes a potential constitutional amendment. Supporters are pursuing the lawsuit window as both regular legislation — the bill that passed through the House on Wednesday — and as a change to …

Senate GOP won’t fast-track child sex abuse lawsuit ‘window’
3 years, 9 months ago

Senate GOP won’t fast-track child sex abuse lawsuit ‘window’

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Majority Republicans in the state Senate said Monday they will not employ a rarely used emergency process to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to give victims of child sexual abuse a two-year window in which to file civil lawsuits, possibly delaying a final vote on the window until 2023. “The Pennsylvania Senate will act in the same manner …

State agency bungles ballot referendum for child sex victims
3 years, 10 months ago

State agency bungles ballot referendum for child sex victims

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Some victims of child sexual abuse might have to wait two years or more to pursue legal claims because of a major bureaucratic bungle that prompted angry denunciations across the political spectrum Monday and the resignation of Pennsylvania’s top state elections official. A proposed state constitutional amendment allowing lawsuits over decadesold claims — prompted by investigations into …

Child sexual abuse lawsuit ‘window’ moves near referendum
3 years, 10 months ago

Child sexual abuse lawsuit ‘window’ moves near referendum

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The state House has given its final approval to a proposal to change the Pennsylvania Constitution to give those who say they were victims of child sexual abuse a retroactive two-year “window” in which to file civil lawsuits, no matter how long ago the alleged abuse occurred. “By giving second round approval, we submit this crucial question …

Discover Related