In this Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019, photo, attorney Adam Slater takes a phone call on a patio outside his high-rise Manhattan office overlooking St. Patrick's Cathedral, in New York. Slater's firm is representing clients accusing the Roman Catholic Church of sexual abuse, a clientele that is rapidly growing after New York state opened its one-year window allowing sex abuse suits with no statute of limitations.
“It’s like a whole new beginning for me,” said 71-year-old Nancy Holling-Lonnecker of San Diego, who plans to take advantage of an upcoming three-year window for such suits in California. Her claim dates back to the 1950s, when she says a priest repeatedly raped her in a confession booth beginning when she was 7 years old.
“The general public is more disgusted than ever with the clergy sex abuse and the cover-up, and that will be reflected in jury verdicts,” said Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston attorney who was at the center of numerous lawsuits against the church in that city and was portrayed in the movie “Spotlight.” Since the 15 states enacted their laws at different times over the past two years, the onslaught of lawsuits is coming in waves.opened its one-year window allowing sexual abuse suits with no statute of limitations, more than 400 cases against the church and other institutions were filed on the first day alone. That number is now up to more than 1,000, with most targeting the church.
“Dead people can’t defend themselves,” said Mark Chopko, former general counsel to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “There is also no one there to be interviewed. If a diocese gets a claim that Father Smith abused somebody in 1947, and there is nothing in Father Smith’s file and there is no one to ask whether there is merit or not, the diocese is stuck.”Slater’s Manhattan offices may have views of St.
One recent day, lawyers talked to at least a half-dozen potential plaintiffs by lunchtime, with one saying she was raped at a first communion party and another saying a priest sodomized him after he was told to pull down his pants so his temperature could be taken. Many of the accusations involve those already identified by dioceses as “credibly accused” — there are, lay persons and other clergy member that meet that standard, according to a recent AP tally. Those are the easy cases.
One of the lawyers eating pizza, Steven Alter, pushed back when asked if the people coming forward are just in it for the money.
NO ONE who abuses, especially ppl in organized religion, not only Catholic, Evangelist, Mormons, Jehovah Witness & others. MUST be held accountable for their harmful doings that impact ppl for years. Mental, emotional, control, etc No Abuse! AhHo!
We're really focused on the money here? $4B seems like chump change w/as many victims as there are and as many years as these victims have been ignored. I think they deserve a lot more. To see their abusers prosecuted, for one.
Justice delayed.
Rightfully, after spending decades of coverups
Good everybody needs to pay for their sins no matter who they are
I'm cool with that and tax all the churches, as well.
What's four billion dollars to a church? Is there even any cost in credibility?
The catholic church is the single most evil entity ever.
Can you imagine if some other organization had THOUSANDS of instances where its employees sexually abused children then its managers covered it up? Do you think it would still be allowed to operate across the US and come in contact with children? It’s nuts.
The law should apply to everybody, not just clergy. That would be interesting.
Good. They tried to cover it up for years.
Of course they're going to have to show proof of it right?
Quite a few retired priests will now be having sleepless nights
Can we just cancel the Catholic Church?
Great. And teachers, rock stars, and high school football players. Well anyone really.
JonLemire Good.
Good!
The church is the largest pedo group on earth
!!!!!!
About fucking time. The CC and their pedophile clergy have gotten away with ruining people's lives for far too long now. Fthr, Raphael in my small Irish town is dead now. I wish he weren't so I could have my day of reckoning with him.
UnitedStates the former land of the free regulate freedom to death & deter innovation by minefields of blocking of combines patents. Dubious ambassadors like in Ukraine & MiniTrump supporting MiniMerkel in Germany are Not even the best businesscards of UnitedStates.
Nidhi Good.
If Starbucks was knowingly harboring sex offenders for decades, moving the offending baristas from store to store, we’d be burning their shops down. For some reason, when it’s a religious institution, they can just pay a fine and move on.
Tax all churches, good and bad.
Judgement Day
Good.
religion is a scam
walterego68_ego The Catholic Church is going the way of the GOP....soon to be history.
3L3V3NTH Hasta la vista, Padre
They have the money to compensate.
Lol who gives money to the church to perpetuate this? STOP GIVING THEM MONEY. You can still believe in God and not have some greedy church robbing you blind.
Nothing will change. Ever.
I wonder how many in the Movie & other Entertainment Industries will also step up.
Good.
Good! People who still find Catholicism an acceptable form of worship are as ignorant as tRUmpets. Why, why, why, would you give money to people who rape your children?!
Good
Good.
Good
Get rid of nonprofit tag for every place where abuse happened. Let's see how many people can dare to say that and want to see it implemented.
Good death to religion hopefully I can see that in my lifetime
Sorry, not sorry.
& eliminates a lot of potential DNC candidates from being able to run unscathed by scandals. The alleged party of believe the women, equal pay, women’s equality & such are all too often the greatest culprits of the opposite reality.
How many steeples for buttwrex? Robes and abuse.
That corrupt group of rapists should have been shut down long ago.
Amen.
Thank god!
Start with you know who !
As a Catholic.... Good. The church needs a reckoning for it's behavior. We trusted the clergy with our spiritual development, and they abused our children. Let the state have them, and may Hod have mercy on THEIR souls.
It should never ever be too late for Justice!
Someone should also bring the Jehovah's Witnesses into this discussion. They've been protecting pedophiles for decades.
Just for money.
Oh well.
You know it's a bitch when morality finally catches up with organized religion.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: ABC - 🏆 471. / 51 Read more »
Source: Eater - 🏆 368. / 59 Read more »
Source: WSJ - 🏆 98. / 63 Read more »
Source: Yahoo Lifestyle - 🏆 365. / 59 Read more »
Source: DEADLINE - 🏆 109. / 63 Read more »
Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »