by Leslie C. Griffin* An option to a civil case filed against a defendant is for the defendant to settle the case. There is a long trail of settlements to trace in the Massachusetts abuse cases. Settlements often occurred because of the statutes of limitations, and because Massachusetts lawyers...
Can You Bring a Civil Case Against Your Abusers and His Supporters? Maybe
by Leslie C. Griffin* In blog post 2 I told you about the criminal cases against church personnel. They also faced many civil cases, as the courts decided who should be held liable for abuse. The abuser, certainly. But what about the bishops, cardinals, archdiocese and dioceses who employed and...
Criminals Galore: Welcome to Massachusetts
by Leslie C. Griffin* In my first Massachusetts blog post, I explained why reporting requirements, statutes of limitations, and charitable immunity blocked many lawsuits against Catholic abusers. Although some abusers escaped liability because of those protections, many Catholics were convicted of...
An Introduction to Sexual Abuse in Catholic Massachusetts
by Leslie C. Griffin* Introduction Have you seen the movie? Spotlight won the Academy Award for best picture in 2015. That film tells the story of the Boston Globe reporters who investigated sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in Massachusetts. The abuse story was unbelievable, yet true. To...
2024 Barbara Blaine Trailblazer Award Recipient – NY State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal
2024 Barbara Blaine Trailblazer Award New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal CHILD USA honors New York Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal with the 2024 Barbara Blaine Trailblazer Award, which was established in memory of a remarkable survivor. Barbara Blaine was the groundbreaking founder of the...
MCKINNEY V. THE GASTON COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
CHILD USA wrote this brief in support of Plaintiffs-Appellees and arguing that the SAFE Child Act's revival window is constitutional under the federal and North Carolina state constitutions.
Robert E. Dupuis, et al., v. Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland Maine
CHILD USA, together with Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Inc. filed this amicus brief in support of Plaintiff-Appellee arguing that the Court should uphold the constitutionality of Maine's revival window provision for victims of child sexual abuse. [pdf_embed...
Aurora Public Schools and David James O’Neill v. Angelica Saupe and Brian Saupe
CHILD USA wrote this amicus brief in response to a constitutional challenge to the CSAAA revival provision. CHILD USA asks the court to uphold the constitutionality of the CSAAA and walks the court through its legislative history, educates the court on the trauma of abuse and its impact on...
Fleming v. Amateur Athletic Union of the United States, Inc.
CHILD USA filed this brief in the Wisconsin Supreme Court in support of Plaintiff-Appellant. Here, CHILD USA considers the legislative history and historical context for Wisconsin's 2003 SOL extension law to support the lower court's ruling that the SOL extension applies to victims of abuse in...