Survivors of church abuse have the right to file lawsuits against dioceses, religious orders, church leaders, and individual abusive members. Some lawsuits even name higher authorities as defendants for their roles in the abuse scandal. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed in the past decade for two main reasons. Many survivors are reporting older cases of abuse because it can take decades for victims of child sexual abuse to talk about what happened, often waiting until they are adults.
Several states have recently changed the laws to give survivors more time to file child sex abuse claims. A statute of limitations (SOL) is a deadline for taking legal action that varies based on where you live, the crime, and whether it’s a criminal charge or a civil claim. In some states, victims who were abused a long time ago can now take legal action against their abusers and even sue the organization that hid the abuse. As more states expand the rights of sexual abuse victims, the number of abuse lawsuits is expected to rise.
Filing a sex abuse claim will vary based on where the abuse happened and how severe it was. Survivors need to know their rights and the legal options available to them.