For decades, the Catholic Church has been dealing with allegations involving sexual abuse. About 5,900 Catholic clergies have been accused of sexually abusing children in the US alone.
These claims have resulted in thousands of Catholic abuse lawsuits and payouts & settlements for many survivors. The Catholic Church has paid about $4 billion in total.
Nowadays, thousands of sexual abuse survivors are coming forward to file a clergy lawsuit against Catholic churches, which is the right thing to do.
An Overview of Clergy Sex Abuse
After a thorough investigation, it is now clear that clergy sex abuse was a pervasive and frequent problem. Plus, it is apparent that the Catholic Church was aware of this matter and did nothing to put a stop to it. Rather, the church leaders made the steps to cover it up.
Many victims were young male children between 10 to 14 years. And sexual abuse of these male children happened severally.
Victims of clergy sexual abuse may suffer from emotional trauma and other devastating long-term impacts. But until recently, those victims had little to no recourse for the abuse they got. Thanks to Connecticut’s laws today, priests accused of abuse in CT are held accountable.
Why Reach Out to the Best Clergy Abuse Attorney?
When victims feel that they shouldn’t talk of the abuse, which happened with Catholic dioceses, or require more time to heal before filing a case, they at times miss the deadline to press civil or criminal charges.
Unfortunately, the statute of limitations when it comes to sexual abuse doesn’t always leave more time to cope with the act before making a claim.
This time frame in your state is there for a good reason. For instance, witnesses’ memories can serve as evidence, while law enforcement offices and labs may ascertain that they have another room for evidence.
For sexual abuse matters, most states have set a statute of limitations to be about ten years. But others have completely done away with this limitation in every case related to sexual assault or rape.
Since you don’t know how those laws applicable to statute of limitations work, you will need a good attorney to guide you through. If there is a statute of limitation within your statute, your attorney will ensure you file a lawsuit on time.
Seeking Justice through Civil Lawsuit
Victims of sexual abuse committed by youth group leaders, teachers, and priests within the Catholic Church fraternity might be eligible to seek compensation and justice by pursuing a lawsuit in the civil justice system.
A civil sexual abuse claim is vital for a few reasons and may help hold every responsible party to account. In addition, it will allow the victim to recover compensation for the losses incurred and increase awareness about sexual abuse in churches, not to mention exposing injustices.
Final Take!
Being a clergy sexual abuse victim can greatly impact your life. But this doesn’t mean that you should suffer alone.
Now can be the right time to come forward, speak the truth, and hold the abusers and perpetrators accountable for their acts.