Church Secures Exemption from Proposed Arizona Law To Eliminate Statute of Limitations for Child Abuse

Arizona State lawmakers in the Senate approved a measure to get rid of the statute of limitation for victims of child abuse to file lawsuits. However, this lifetime right to sue has one notable exception: for the church and school districts. If you are suing the Church for its failure to act to stop a pedophile, you still only have two years.

The lobbyist for the Catholic Church admits that he has been pushing for the exception.

The elimination of the statute of limitations only covers defendant’s “direct or intentional conduct.”

Ron Johnson, who lobbies on behalf of the state’s three Catholic bishops, says that the exception is needed to allow the Church (as well as businesses and schools) to buy insurance. I question that rationale. It would appear that insurance rates could be higher — particularly for organizations with a history of ignoring or covering up child abuse. Moreover, even if the Church cannot cover child abuse in a policy, it can avoid liability by not covering up such cases.

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