Commentary: Don’t stall momentum on SOL sex-crimes bill
Who’s the victim here?
In raising that question, two guest commentators in a recent media article discussing acts of sexual abuse committed by Catholic clergy members readily answer it at the same time.
And, in fact, with another question.
“Why must the true victims — the victims of sexual assault — be haunted by their abuse while the Church sweeps its wrongdoings under the rug?” query writers and policy analysts Robert Weiner and Katie Schulze.
Weiner’s and Schulze’s immediate focus is on California Senate Bill 13, known formally as the Justice for Victims Act. The would-be legislation — which seeks to eliminate the state’s current statute of limitations in sexual assault investigations — recently sailed through the State Senate, but must be additionally endorsed in the California Assembly and approved by Gov. Jerry Brown to be enacted as law.
The Assembly could approve the bill next month, an act that Weiner and Schulze say would “not only protect children here but send shock waves across the country.”
Unsurprisingly, the writers note, Catholic Church officials have long and strenuously opposed legislative attempts that, if codified as law, would further open the doors of accountability regarding unlawful acts committed by church members in the past.
Weiner and Schulze decry the lobbying efforts that seek to thwart new laws, contending that church protestations regarding the potentially bankrupting costs of litigation that would result from them are meritless. They deem it disingenuous that, while the Catholic Church in the United States “racks in $170 billion annually, it always seems to claim bankruptcy to avoid paying for its child sex abuse.”
As noted, the state Assembly could act on SB 813 as early as next month. We will keep readers duly informed of any material news that emerges concerning the legislation.
Serving clients throughout the Greater Los Angeles and Southern California area, we represent victims in a variety of civil litigation cases. If you or a loved one has been injured, turn to an experienced Los Angeles personal injury or sexual assault lawyer.
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