The Catholic church has a go-to playbook to avoid liability in child sex abuse cases. Last time, we talked to Jeff Anderson and Mike Finnegan, attorneys from Jeff Anderson & Associates who represent victims of childhood sexual crimes, about how the Catholic church utilizes bankruptcy to avoid helping victims. This time, we speak with them again to discuss one other way the Church has historically escaped liability—by abusing statutes of limitations.
Statutes of limitations are time limits that legal claims must be filed during in order to become viable cases. They can differ from state to state. Statutes of limitations make sense in most personal injury cases, but for cases involving child sex abuse, a deadline of a couple of years is simply not enough time for many victims to come forward—especially when the crime is committed by someone the child thinks they can trust, like a member of the clergy. The Catholic church has been known to groom or coerce victims into silence until the statute passes, escaping liability completely.
Tune in to learn how this devastating playbook has developed and about its consequences.
