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NY Opens One-Year Window for Adult Victims to Sue Over Past Sex Abuse

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2 years ago

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  • Adults who were sexually abused as children and did not take legal action within the statute of limitations now have a one-year window to sue their abusers thanks to a new law that went into effect in New York.
  • The law, called the Child Victims Act, also expands the statute of limitations so that victims can sue until they are 55 years old, as opposed to the previous limitation which was set at 23 years old.
  • Institutions like the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts are preparing to take massive financial hits.

Child Victims Act Goes Into Effect

Adult victims who were sexually abused as children but did not take legal action in the required time period will now be given a year to sue their abusers under a new law in New York that went into effect Wednesday.  

The one-year period, known as a look-back window, will let victims bring forward cases that may have expired decades ago under the previous statute of limitations. The victims will also be able to sue any institutions or organizations that allowed the abuse or were complicit.

Until now, New York had one of the most restrictive statutes of limitations for child sex abuse victims in the country. Under the previous statute, people who had been sexually abused as minors had to file charges by the time they were just 23 years old.

However, the new law, called the Child Victims Act, extends that time limit so that accusers can sue until they are 55.

The Child Victims Act is a big move for New York, but it has also been a long time coming. Lawmakers in New York’s legislature have been trying to extend the statute of limitations for child sex abuse victims for more than a decade.

Every time they tried, they were stopped by opposition from the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts, Orthodox Jewish organizations, as well as the insurance industry. The biggest sticking point for those groups was the look-back window, which they claimed would create a huge financial burden for them.

Before the law passed, the New York Catholic Conference claimed the look-back window would “force institutions to defend alleged conduct decades ago about which they have no knowledge and in which they had no role.”

New York’s State Assembly had passed the law several times, but the State Senate kept preventing a vote. Then Democrats took over the state’s Senate in November, and the bill passed the Senate unanimously right after they took office in January.

Organizations Brace for Financial Hit

According to reports, hundreds and maybe thousands of lawsuits are expected to be filed just on the first day the window takes effect.

Now, many of the major institutions like the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts that had opposed the law because of the financial questions are bracing for the impact.

The Catholic Archdiocese of New York is already suing their insurance providers to make sure they provide coverage for the lawsuits they are about to face.

The Rockefeller University Hospital, which is being sued by hundreds of people who allege they were abused by a doctor, is also doing the same.

The financial hit these institutions could take just over the next year is huge, and there are examples from other states to prove it.

In 2003, California implemented a similar year-long look-back window. In that time, hundreds of millions of dollars were paid out and thousands of lawsuits were filed, most of which were against the Catholic Church, eventually forcing the Diocese of San Diego to file bankruptcy protection.

Similarly, after Minnesota closed its look-back window in 2016, numerous Catholic dioceses filed for bankruptcy protection as well.

According to reports, officials in the church said they are studying look-back windows in other states to try to estimate what could happen.

“While we do not know what will transpire when the C.V.A. window opens, at this point in time we have no expectation of needing to file for bankruptcy protection,” a church spokesman told The New York Times.

Cultural Shift

Studying look-back windows in other states might not be the best metric.

Some experts have noted the look-back window in New York could possibly create even more lawsuits than have been filed in other states because the national discussion about sexual misconduct scandals, especially regarding minors, has grown significantly over the last few years.

Mobilizations like the #MeToo movement have put accusations against religious organizations, private schools, sports programs, and celebrities in the spotlight. This has both increased awareness and prompted other victims to come forward.

Some notable examples include the numerous allegations against R. Kelly, as well as the dozens of women who have accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexually assaulting them.

The new law is also expected to allow Epstein’s victims to sue his estate for damages.

This cultural shift of victims having more attention and power to take action is not limited to New York.

In fact, New York is just one of 18 states and D.C. that passed similar laws extending their statutes of limitations for children who faced sexual abuse. Though only a few, including New Jersey, passed look-back window provisions.

Regardless, New York’s implementation of the Child Victims Act is significant, especially for the victims. 

“The significance of it is a switch in the balance of power,” Marci Hamilton, the chief executive of the child protection think tank Child U.S.A., told the Times.

“There was a severe imbalance of power that led to their abuse in the first place. The culture shut them out of the legal system until now. For them, this is validation,” she continued.

Until these laws were passed, victims often had very few avenues to seek financial compensation. Catholic dioceses had previously made Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Programs, where victims could apply for settlements if they agreed not to file lawsuits.

According to reports, the Archdiocese of New York alone made agreements with more than 300 people and paid out $65 million to abuse victims.

However, at the same time, some have noted that the look-back window creates both an opportunity and a problem. For victims of child abuse, seeking justice can be powerful, but it can also bring up a lot of pain and trauma.

That conflict is made more complicated by the fact that the new statute of limitations for filing charges against abusers does not apply retroactivity, meaning that it only applies to new cases moving forward, basically requiring any abuse victims over the age of 23 have to bring claims through the look-back window.

“The Child Victims Act opens the door to the courthouse,” Michael Polenberg, the vice president for government affairs at the advocacy group Safe Horizon, told the Times.

“The Child Victims Act doesn’t change the way that our justice system works.”

See what others are saying: (TIME) (NPR) (The New York Times)

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Teens Attack and Rob 80-Year-Old Asian Man in Northern California

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2 days ago

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May 11, 2021

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  • Viral surveillance footage shows an 80-year-old Asian man in the San Francisco Bay area being assaulted and robbed on Saturday by suspects who police say are teenagers.
  • Police believe the suspects are as young as 16, and at one point, one can be heard in the video giggling from the getaway car as the victim cries for help. 
  • The news comes after the nonprofit Stop AAPI Hate released data showing that reports of anti-Asian hate incidents in the U.S. jumped by almost 74% year-over-year in March.

Suspect Laughs at Victim During Attack

Surveillance video going viral on social media captured an 80-year-old Asian man in the San Francisco Bay area getting assaulted and robbed on Saturday by suspects who police believe are teenagers.

The full video is extremely distressing. It shows the man getting knocked to the ground, trying to fight off his attackers as he cries for help. To make matters worse, at one point, high-pitched giggles can be heard coming from another teen in the background. That person appears to be inside a getaway car nearby.

The victim was robbed of a watch and sustained minor injuries. Police have also said that a vehicle similar to the one used in this case was spotted at a strong-armed robbery in a nearby San Leandro area less than two hours later, where another victim was robbed of her purse.

Police believe the suspects are as young as 16.

Surge of Crimes Against Asians in U.S.

This is just the latest violent attack against an Asian person making headlines since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Last week, reports emerged regarding two Asian women who were attacked with a hammer in Times Square by someone demanding they remove their masks. Two other Asian women were recently stabbed while waiting for the bus in downtown San Francisco.

The San Francisco-based nonprofit Stop AAPI Hate released data Thursday saying that reports of anti-Asian hate incidents in the U.S. jumped by almost 74% year-over-year in March — with Chinese people as victims in 44% of these acts.

Vancouver Sees Massive Influx of Anti-Asian Hate

While anti-Asian hate crimes have surged in the U.S., the situation may be worse in Canada, specifically in Vancouver. Around 42% of people in Vancouver are of Asian descent and at least 25% speak Chinese — making it the most heavily Asian city in North America.

Still, it witnessed a 717% year-over-year surge in anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020, according to the Vancouver Police Department. Bloomberg even dubbed it the Anti-Asian hate crime capital of North America, saying more anti-Asian hate crimes were reported in the city of 700,000 people last year than in the 10 largest U.S. cities combined.

That’s part of why people all across the city are participating in more organized action to speak out against anti-Asian hate. For instance, several rallies took place in Vancouver Monday to mark the National Day of Action Against Anti-Asian Racism.

See what others are saying: (ABC 7) (Bloomberg) (Forbes)

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Derek Chauvin and 3 Others Ex-Officers Indicted on Civil Rights Charges Over George Floyd’s Death

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6 days ago

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May 7, 2021

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  • The Justice Department filed federal criminal charges Friday against Derek Chauvin and three other former Minneapolis police officers after a grand jury indicted them for violating the civil rights of George Floyd.
  • The indictment charges Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao for violating Floyd’s right to be free from unreasonable seizure and unreasonable force. All three, as well as Thomas Lane, were also charged with failing to provide medical care to Floyd. 
  • Chauvin was additionally hit with two counts in a separate indictment, which claims he violated the civil rights of a 14-year-old boy who he allegedly held by the neck and repeatedly beat with a flashlight during a 2017 arrest.
  • Chauvin was already convicted last month of murder and manslaughter over Floyd’s death, which Kueng, Lane, and Thao were previously charged for allegedly aiding and abetting.

Former Minneapolis Officers Hit With Federal Charges

A federal grand jury indicted Derek Chauvin and three other former Minneapolis police officers for violating George Floyd’s civil rights during the arrest that lead to his death last summer, the Justice Department announced Friday.

Chauvin, specifically, was charged with violating Floyd’s right to be free from unreasonable seizure and unreasonable force by a police officer. Ex-officers J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were indicted for willfully failing to intervene in Chauvin’s unreasonable use of force.

All three men, as well as former officer Thomas Lane, face charges for failing to provide medical care to Floyd, “thereby acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm to Floyd,” according to the indictment.

In a second, separate indictment, Chauvin was hit with two counts of civil rights violations related to the arrest of a 14-year-old boy in September 2017. During that incident, Chauvin allegedly held the boy by the neck and hit him with a flashlight repeatedly.

The announcement, which follows a months-long investigation by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, comes just over two weeks after Chauvin was found guilty of three state charges of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death.

He is currently awaiting his June 25 sentencing in a maximum-security prison.

State-Level Charges

Kueng, Lane, and Thao all face state charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter.

Kueng and Lane were the first officers to responded to a call from a convenience store employee who claimed that Floyd used a counterfeit $20 bill. Body camera footage showed Floyd sitting in the car and Lane drawing his gun as the officers ordered him out and handcuffed him. 

Floyd can be heard pleading with the officers not to shoot him.

Shortly after, Chauvin and Thao arrived, and the footage shows Chauvin joining the other officers in their attempt to put Floyd into the back of a police car. In the struggle, the officers forced Floyd to the ground, with Chauvin kneeling on his neck while Kueng and Lane held his back and legs. 

Meanwhile, in cellphone footage taken at the scene, Thao can be seen ordering bystanders to stay away, and later preventing a Minneapolis firefighter from giving Floyd medical aid.

Their trial is set to begin in late August, and all three are free on bond. The new federal charges, however, will likely be more difficult to prove.

According to legal experts, prosecutors will have to show beyond reasonable doubt that the officers knew that they were depriving Floyd of his constitutional rights but continued to do so anyway.

The high legal standard is also hard to establish, as officers can easily claim they acted out of fear or even poor judgment.

See what others are saying: (The Washington Post) (The New York Times) (The Associated Press)

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Caitlyn Jenner Says Her Friends Are Fleeing California Because of the Homeless Population

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7 days ago

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May 6, 2021

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  • California gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner sparked outrage after an interview with Sean Hannity on Wednesday that was filmed from her Malibu airplane hangar. 
  • “My friends are leaving California,” she said. “My hangar, the guy right across, he was packing up his hangar and I said, ‘Where are you going?’ And he says, ‘I’m moving to Sedona, Arizona. I can’t take it anymore. I can’t walk down the streets and see the homeless.’”
  • Many criticized Jenner for sounding out of touch and unsympathetic to real issues in California and suggested that she prioritize helping the homeless population rather than incredibly wealthy state residents.

Caitlyn Jenner’s Remarks

California gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner sparked outrage on Wednesday after suggesting that wealthy people are fleeing the state because of its homeless population.

Jenner sat down for an interview in her Malibu airplane hangar with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. Jenner is one of the handful of Republicans aiming to unseat current Governor Gavin Newsom in a recall election in the fall. While polls show that most Californians do not support recalling Newsom, the conservative-led movement to do so gained enough signatures to land on the ballot.

“My friends are leaving California,” Jenner claimed during the interview. “My hangar, the guy right across, he was packing up his hangar and I said, ‘where are you going?’ And he says, ‘I’m moving to Sedona, Arizona, I can’t take it anymore. I can’t walk down the streets and see the homeless.’” 

“I don’t want to leave,” she continued. “Either I stay and fight, or I get out of here.”

Jenner’s Remarks Prompt Backlash

Her remarks were criticized online by people who thought Jenner sounded unsympathetic and out of touch to the real issues in the state. Many found it hypocritical that Jenner has slammed Newsom for being elite but was so concerned for wealthy people who don’t like having to see unhoused residents on the street.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Ca.) called Jenner out on Twitter for seemingly fighting for a small percentage of Californians. 

“Unlike you, Dems are focused on the 99% of people who don’t own planes or hangars,” he wrote. “And you know what’s going to help reduce homelessness? The #AmericanRescuePlan, which your party opposed.”

Others suggested she prioritize directly addressing the homeless situation.

“If you don’t like the homeless situation, instead of hiding in your PRIVATE PLANE HANGAR, your campaign should be about helping them,” actress Merrin Dungey said. “They don’t like their situation either. Your lifelong privilege is showing. It’s not a good color.”

Jenner, an Olympic gold medalist and reality star, is one of the most prominent transgender Americans. Because homelessness is such a common issue within the trans community, some were frustrated she was not using her campaign to fix the situation, and rather used it to complain about how it impacted her wealthy friends. 

See what others are saying: (The Hill) (Politico) (Washington Post)

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