In the wake of media reports over sexual abuse and harassment cases, one pediatrician in New York is the latest to be accused of abusing children. In this sexual abuse scandal, hundreds of cases fall under the umbrella allowed under the legal window reopened for cases in NewYork. In total, over 570 sexual abuse lawsuits have been filed since that window opening, but one Manhattan hospital has been accused of employing a serial predator against children.

That sexual abuse case, however, has now reached a settlement before any of the 200 claimants made it to court. The allegations all involved a doctor associated with a Manhattan hospital based on claims that the physician abused more than 1,000 children during his tenure there.

Although the details of this specific settlement were not released, according to Buzz Feed, it could be a substantial amount of money due to the volume of victims in the claim and the arguments that the abuse went on for decades.

When the New York lookback window for sexual abuse claims became active on August 14, it gave victims a one-year period to bring their claims to court regardless of how old the claims were. Many of those claims have already been filed. Recognizing the potential for significant lawsuits, some of those accused in this early wave of litigation have been trying to settle outside of court.

While plenty of those suits are related to major organizations like churches, the lookback window has also brought to light claims of sexual abuse in places like the YMCA or Disney Land. The doctor named in the recently settled Rockefeller University case might not have been the only physician to carry out that kind of behavior, either, according to some of the lawsuits.

The Boy Scout claims alone might involve more than 8,000 abusers who harmed young children with various forms of sexual abuse. Now many of those survivors are taking advantage of the lookback law as an opportunity to speak out.

With both the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts, questions have been raised about to what extent the organizations knew about or should have known about the abusive behavior carried out by leadership.

As more universities and other schools have also been accused by victims, lawsuits are expected to grow in number as victims share their stories in an effort to hold these groups and entities accountable.

In the past, limited avenues were available to victims of sex abuse cases. Victims had to bring litigation by the time they turned 23 before the new lookback law was passed in NY. Victim’s advocates claim that this was a serious issue since many people who suffered sexual abuse in their youth did not fully come to terms with it until many years later.

Some of the recently filed sex abuse scandal claims might end up going through litigation, but many of the accused organizations or people will attempt to limit the uncertainty of a court outcome in an effort to settle. Any victims should be aware of their rights and consider the importance of legal representation.

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