Some of New York’s Catholic church sex offenders might never be held accountable in court if a Long Island Catholic diocese lawsuit is successful.

The Rockville Centre diocese has filed a lawsuit challenging New York’s Child Victim’s Act, alleging the new law is unconstitutional. The law allows a look-back window of one year that began Aug. 14. During the predetermined dates, survivors may bring legal claims against abusers who believed the statute of limitations had allowed them to get away with their crimes.

Passage of the Child Victims Act was a turning point in the Roman Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal. Within days, New York’s Catholic establishments were facing hundreds of lawsuits detailing allegations of sexual abuse that occurred decades ago, but that still remain scars on the psyches of the survivors. Some dioceses have been hit with enough claims to force them into bankruptcy.

In an effort to avoid potential bankruptcy, the Rockville Centre Catholic diocese is alleging the look-back window is unconstitutional. Attorneys cite a ruling by the New York Supreme Court in 2006 in which judges determined that a plaintiff could have filed charges against a priest and diocese much earlier because that plaintiff knew what occurred long before he brought forth charges.

In that 2006 case, the main plaintiff was 13 years old when the priest allegedly began abusing him in 1963.

Rockville Says Catholic Church Sex Offenders Held Accountable Through Compensation Program

The Rockville Centre diocese operates its own Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program that allegedly has compensated 277 sexual abuse survivors with more than $50 million. If church administrators continue to control the compensation, the diocese might be able to avoid bankruptcy. The diocese says it is continuing to compensate survivors to resolve allegations of past harm.

An Oct. 23, 2019 press release from Sean P. Dolan, director of communications for the Rockville Centre diocese, said in part, “The Diocese of Rockville Centre is cooperating fully with all law enforcement, including the district attorneys and the ongoing investigation by the Attorney General.”

Dolan provided the following statement after filing the lawsuit to fight the new law: “In its omnibus motion to dismiss, filed on November 12, 2019, the Diocese of Rockville Centre asks the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Nassau, to apply to the Child Victims Act important protections afforded to all New York State citizens under the New York State Constitution. Available resources should be deployed in a manner that compensates all survivors fairly.”

Earlier this year, the Anderson Report released a report entitled Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. The report listed the names of nearly 60 former priests and other individuals associated with the diocese who were accused of sexual misconduct with minors.

In that report, the Rockville Centre diocese was accused of not sharing the entire known history of sexual abusers associated with the organization over the years.

The Anderson Report cited the Suffolk County Grand Jury Report of May 2002 that investigated the Rockville Centre and concluded that priests committed criminal acts that included rape and sexual abuse. The Grand Jury reported said not a single priest who knew of the criminal acts committed by Catholic church sex offenders made a report to law enforcement.

In fact, the Suffolk Grand Jury concluded, “The Diocese of Rockville Centre… conceived and agreed to a plan using deception and intimidation to prevent victims from seeking legal solutions to their problems.”

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.