Clergy Abuse in Rhode Island

Clergy Abuse – Rhode Island

The Dioceses of Three lingering cases of alleged priest sex abuse that forced the Diocese of Providence to open some of its decades-old secret files concerning allegations of clergy misconduct, have been settled in principle, lawyer says. And a fourth case, filed by two sisters on behalf of their dead brother, has also reached agreement in the last several weeks. Pending court approvals, the four plaintiffs or their estates will split a settlement offer from the diocese of $1,326,000. The individual payoffs range between $100,000 and $400,000 each, said Carl DeLuca, one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers. http://newsblog.projo.com/2008/08/by-tom-mooney-j.html

Take the child sex abuse

• Last year, a troop leader in Rhode Island was arrested after a Scout reported that the 37-year-old man had sexually accosted him in camp, while he slept in a tent with seven other children.
• In Illinois, an assistant scoutmaster was charged with sexual assault and child pornography after allegedly having members of his troop pose for lewd photographs and molesting them.
• And in Massachusetts last summer, a town was rocked by revelations that a priest, who was a volunteer for both the Boy Scouts and the local YMCA, was being investigated for abusing as many as 200 children. When police searched his house they found a list containing the names of 250 local children and describing intimate details of their bodies.

http://articles.sfgate.com/2000-07-23/news/28586890_1

Attorney Samuel Rogatinsky cares about survivors of sexual Abuse. In addition to clergy abuse cases, Sam will expose sexual abusers from every type of organization or institution. Recently, Mr. Rogatinsky filed suit against a mental health facility that was abusing a patient. He wll review the circumstances of each particular case and guide survivors through the maze that they must navigate in order to get justice. In addition to clergy, priest and rabbi abuse, the Rogatinsky Firm will handle sexual abuse cases against churches, schools, medical professionals such as psychologists, mental health facilities, Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs and athletic organizations. Sexual abuse is not tolerated by the Rogatinsky Firm and they will exhaust all resources before giving up on any case. You can reach Sam on the toll free number found on this site or call him at (954)444-4032 after hours. Mr. Rogatinsky  believes child sex abuse support groups like http://www.pokrov.org/ and http://childmolestationprevention.org/ can be helpful too.

For your convenience, the statute of limitations for Nevada are listed here:

Statute of Limitations for Civil Cases:

• There is a 10 year Statute of Limitations for child sexual abuse cases with a delayed tolling until the victim’s 7-year SOL for Suits against Perpetrators Based on Sexual Abuse : Claims based upon intentional conduct, i.e. against a perpetrator, must be brought within 7 years of the act of abuse, or 7 years from when the victim discovered or reasonably should have discovered that his/her injuries were caused by the sexual abuse. R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-51(a)(2008).
• 3-year SOL for Non-Perpetrators : Claims against non-perpetrators must be brought under the general tort statute of limitations. Suits must be filed within 3 years of the acts constituting negligence. R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14(b) (2008).
• Discovery Rule : Statutorily defined as against perpetrators (see above). Under Rhode Island law, discovery rule does not extend to claims against non-perpetrator defendants for damages arising from childhood sexual abuse and are governed by the general three-year statute of limitations for personal injuries. See Ryan v. Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence, 941 A.2d 174 (R.I., 2008).

Statute of Limitations for Criminal Cases:

• There is a varying Statute of Limitations based on the sexual abuse itself. No Limit for Criminal Acts of Sexual Assault in the First Degree or Child Molestation in the First or Second Degree : No limit for First degree sexual assault (§ 11-37-2), First degree child molestation sexual assault (§ 11-37-8.1), Second degree child molestation sexual assault (§ 11-37-8.3) R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-12-17(a). For any other criminal offense, within three years after commission of the offense. R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-12-17(c) (2008).