Last Friday, the state senate passed the bill by a vote of 21-8. Gov. Brown has until Oct. 13 to sign the bill into law or veto it. The legislation would lift the statute of limitations on child sex abuse lawsuits against private schools and private employers who failed to take action against sexual abuse by employees or volunteers. It would allow alleged victims younger than 31 to sue employers of abusers, extending present age limit for alleged victims presently set at 26 years-old. However, the bill specifically exempts public schools and other government institutions from lawsuits. It also exempts the actual perpetrators of the abuse from civil action in some cases, while leaving their employers vulnerable....
....Donohue also contended that attorneys were the “big winners” in abuse lawsuits filed against Catholic institutions in the past decade, taking hundreds of millions in fees. Nearly 1,000 claims – some dating back to the 1950s – have been filed against the Catholic Church in California since a 2003 exemption to the statute of limitations, with legal awards totaling to $1.2 billion. Donahue charged that if the latest bill is enacted, dioceses will be forced to take money from parishes and schools, “hurting innocent Catholics, many of whom are not wealthy, so they can pay for claims so old that no one can reasonably disprove them.”
Kevin Eckery, a spokesman for the California Catholic Conference, told CNA/EWTN News June 11 that the Catholic Church in California can no longer rely on insurance policies and sales of property and other assets to meet the costs of any new lawsuits. A new round of lawsuits could force dioceses to close schools, he said. Lawsuits could force the Diocese of Stockton to declare bankruptcy.
I am sorry Alex
With LA Archidosne not doing jack for last 20 years I think safe to say this going past who give rat*** what US bishops say on this
They should all went Benson/Stabler on some of Los Angeles City priests LONG LONG TIME AGO
We have bufoon in Roger Mahoney everybody know he is cover it up