The Archdiocese of Hartford is hoping to stem the tide of lawsuits against priests accused of child sexual abuse.
In 2002, the General Assembly passed legislation that retroactively extended the statute of limitations for lawsuits filed by victims of sexual abuse by priests from 17 years to 30 years, because it often takes decades for victims of sexual abuse to comes to terms with their abuse come forward. Lawyers for the Archdiocese of Hartford say that extension is unconstitutional, and they're using the case of Jacob Doe to argue their point.
Not his real name, Doe and a friend claim they were repeatedly molested by Father Ivan Ferguson and Ferguson's boyfriend in the early 1980s at a Derby School. Ferguson died in 2002.
Lawyers for Doe say the Archdiocese was aware of previous instances of Ferguson molesting children, and acted recklessly when they moved Ferguson to the Derby school. In 2012, a jury in Waterbury awarded $1 million to Jacob Doe.
The Hartford Archdiocese appealed that award to the Connecticut Supreme Court……
http://wnpr.org/post/archdiocese-hartford-makes-case-against-future-priest-sexual-abuse-lawsuits
Posts
