NY let childhood sex abuse victims sue; 9,000 went to court

By MICHAEL HILL
Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s two-year “look-back window” closes this week. It allows people who claim they were abused long ago to sue churches, hospitals, camps, scout groups and schools. The tidal wave of more than 7,600 lawsuits could deliver a financial blow to Catholic dioceses and other organizations. The 2019 law creating the litigation window in state courts was designed to give survivors a measure of justice — even if delayed by decades in some cases. Four of the state’s Roman Catholic dioceses in bankruptcy have cited the deluge of litigation.