On Tuesday, November 26, 2019, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed three bills that will give future victims of child sexual abuse more time to file lawsuits against their abusers and any related institutions. It was over a year ago that a Pennsylvania grand jury released…
Back in 2011, the State of Virginia passed a law extending the statute of limitations for sexual abuse civil lawsuits from two to 20 years. The law went into effect on July 1, 2011. It allows victims to file lawsuits against their attackers and others…
According to information revealed in a newly filed Boy Scouts of America (BSA) sexual abuse lawsuit, over 350 previously unknown scoutmasters and volunteers have been identified as sexual predators. Neither law enforcement nor the BSA had a record of these individuals’ abusive activities, despite estimates…
The Catholic Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota recently announced that it had reached a $5 million settlement with victims of childhood clergy sexual abuse. The settlement resolves 15 lawsuits filed between April 2016 and May 2017—after the state of Minnesota extended the statute of limitations to…
As survivors of Catholic clergy sexual abuse seek justice in courts around the country, a new report indicates that the Church has spent millions to prevent victims from filing clerical sex abuse lawsuits. According to reports, the Catholic Church spent more than $10 million on…
A new California bill that would require Catholic priests to report confessions of sexual abuse passed the state Senate on May 23rd, 2019. Currently, in that state, therapists, doctors, and others are mandated to break client privilege and report child abuse and neglect, but so…
Several media reports have indicated that the prevalence of child sexual abuse in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is likely to be more widespread than previously believed. Organizational records reveal that between 1944 and 2016, more than 12,000 children were allegedly abused while participating…
According to a recently released independent investigation report, former Ohio State University (OSU) physician Dr. Richard Strauss sexually abused at least 177 male students, many while he was team physician with the University Athletics Department. Others he abused as part of his other pursuits, such…
A recent decision by the Pennsylvania State Superior Court may soon open the door for previously time-barred Catholic Church clergy sexual abuse lawsuits to proceed. On June 11, 2019, a three-judge panel agreed to reinstate a lawsuit filed by a plaintiff who claims she was…
Attorneys working on behalf of victims abused within the Catholic Church recently released a new list of nearly 400 Catholic clergy members in Illinois accused of sexual misconduct. These were priests and other individuals that worked in parishes or schools over the past 50 plus…