In 2019, New York passed the Child Victims Act, which extends the amount of time victims of child sexual abuse have to file lawsuits against their perpetrators. The law also opened a “look back” window that allows abused individuals to file lawsuits for childhood sexual abuse cases for which the statute of limitations had passed.

The Child Victims Act allows adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, including those who may have been sexually abused decades ago by Dr. Reginald Archibald at the Rockefeller University Hospital, to file lawsuits against the perpetrator or organization responsible.

What is the Child Victims Act?

The Child Victims Act allows victims of childhood sexual abuse to file a lawsuit against an individual or an organization, like the Gow School, even if the abuse happened decades ago. This scenario likely applies to numerous former patients of Dr. Archibald, who was employed by the Rockefeller University Hospital from the 1940s through the 1980s and who has been accused of sexual abuse by numerous former patients.

The look back window in the Child Victims Act was originally set to expire on Aug. 13, 2020, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo has extended the filing window through August 2021.

More than 1,000 adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse have filed claims under the Child Victims Act. These sexual abuse lawsuits have been lodged against individuals, churches, public schools, youth organizations, and other organizations that allegedly knew about the sexual abuse.

Many of the lawsuits filed under the Child Victims Act do not include the alleged perpetrator as a defendant. In these cases, the individual may be deceased or plaintiffs may not remember the name because they were children when the abuse took place.

What Are the Allegations against Dr. Archibald?

Dr. Archibald treated thousands of children during his nearly four-decade employment at Rockefeller University Hospital. He studied childhood growth and maturation. He also conducted a number of research studies on these topics.

Rockefeller University Hospital was allegedly aware of several complaints about Dr. Archibald’s behavior during examinations of young patients, but he denied any wrongdoing. In 1960, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office began an investigation into the doctor, but he was never charged.

In May 2019, The Rockefeller University Hospital sent a letter to former patients regarding the findings of an investigation into reports of sexual misconduct by Dr. Archibald.

“Based upon all of the information collected, it is clear that Archibald, taking advantage of his position as a trusted and respected physician and researcher, engaged in a widespread pattern of misconduct and sexually abused many children” while offering them medical care and treatment at Rockefeller University Hospital, according to the report.

The report concluded that Dr. Archibald engaged in behaviors that constituted sexual misconduct while examining patients, including fondling patients, brushing his face against patients’ genitals, pulling on erect penises, and taking semen samples from patients without sufficient medical or research justification.

Dr. Archibald died in 2007.

If you believe you were sexually abused by Dr. Archibald, you may have a legal claim. Submit your information now for a free case review.

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