Nearly 1,200 people have sued their alleged abusers under the state’s Child Victims Act
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Advocates called on state lawmakers to enact the Child Victims Act in January. Three and a half months after the law took effect, 30 people have filed CVA complaints in Queens and 1,176 people have sued their alleged abusers statewide. AP Photo/Hanns Pennink.
By David Brand
Nearly 1,200 survivors of sexual abuse across New York State have filed lawsuits against their alleged abusers under the state’s landmark Child Victims Act, which took effect Aug. 14. At least 30 plaintiffs have filed complaints in Queens Supreme Court as of Dec. 2, according to data compiled by the Office of Court Administration.
Six Queens plaintiffs filed cases against their alleged abusers — and the institutions they say protected the abusers or looked the other way — on the first day of the law, which provides a one-year “lookback window” for survivors to file lawsuits, regardless of how long ago the alleged abuse occurred. Another 24 people have filed complaints in Queens in the ensuing three and a half months.
The number of Queens cases pales in comparison to the number of complaints filed in state Supreme Court in Manhattan (258) and Brooklyn (168), according to OCA records.
In the Bronx, 53 plaintiffs have filed complaints, while seven plaintiffs have filed complaints in Staten Island.
Erie County has accounted for the most CVA lawsuits in the state, with 288. Erie County is home to the Buffalo Diocese, the most sued entity in the state. More than 210 plaintiffs have named at least 107 Catholic priests from the Buffalo Diocese in lawsuits alleging abuse, the Buffalo News reported last month.
Abuse survivor Brian Toale spoke in favor of legislation authorizing the Child Victims Act in January, while standing with New York lawmakers, survivors and advocates. AP Photo/Hanns Pennink.
Jayne Conroy, a trial lawyer and partner at Simmons Hanly Conroy who specializes in CVA cases, said observers should not read too much into the number of cases filed in specific jurisdictions just yet. The number of cases could “just be a function of research and schedules and deadlines” as survivors continue to learn about their rights and attorneys conduct research, Conroy said.
“It doesn’t necessarily have any reflection on what the numbers may ultimately look like,” she said. “We have until August so there’s no reason to rush anything. We’re doing our due diligence.”
Conroy said media accounts of CVA cases play an important role in spreading the word about the law, and for making victims feel comfortable coming forward.
“It’s very, very difficult for a victim to come forward if they think no one has ever come out and said this person abused me, but then they see in the news that 10 people have come forward,” she said.
In Queens, plaintiffs have filed civil complaints against members of the clergy and individual churches in the Brooklyn Diocese, including priests at St. Margaret’s Church in Middle Village and St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows. Survivors have also sued Rockefeller University Hospital for not preventing abuse by longtime physician Reginald Archibald, who reportedly abused hundreds of children in his care.
The state court system designated 45 judges to hear cases under the CVA and has not had to assign additional judges, according to the Office of Court Administration.
In Queens, Justices Chereé Buggs and Laurence Love were initially designated to handle the CVA cases, but Acting Queens Administrative Judge George Silver, the deputy chief administrative judge for New York Courts, has stepped in to handle all New York City cases at the pretrial stage.
Conroy praised the way the court system has so far handled CVA cases.
“We’ve seen a tremendous response and efficiency from the court system in New York,” she said. “It’s been gratifying to see judges that have stepped in and recognized the significance of these cases, and the issues of compassion and empathy for the victims.”
“Judges are rolling up their sleeves and saying ‘How are were going to address this is an expeditious way?”
