The Playbook: Statutes of Limitations Parallel Justice

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.