Several priests in California have been accused of child sexual abuse. The Catholic dioceses have made a list of priests accused of abuse in California and posted it for reference. This initiative aims to ensure that all sexual abuse victims and survivors get justice and compensation. Due to the increased numbers of sexual abuse cases in organizations such as religious places, lawmakers have put in place laws and regulations. These new legislations aid the compensation of the victims and give them the chance to get justice.
Laws that affect sexual abuse victims
In 2019, lawmakers in California implemented a new law that extended the period put in place within which sexual assault victims would report and file lawsuits. The provisions of this bill included:
- Adults were allowed to file any child abuse cases they were unaware of within five years of happening.
- The law added the legal deadline set for people to report any sexual abuse during their childhoods.
- The victim’s compensation for sexual abuse cases could be multiplied greatly by the court if there was a cover-up.
- The survivors left out of the time limit set were allowed to file accusations so long as they had a three-year look-back. This means that victims can file lawsuits on child abuse before they are 40 years of age. Those cut from this list of getting justice since they are more than 40 years were given a look-back window period set between 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2022.
Compensations and settlements
Civil lawsuits have aided most settlements and compensations. For example, child abuse cases by the clergy in catholic dioceses compensations and settlements in California have surpassed one billion dollars. Some of the established programs for ensuring victim compensation include:
California independent compensation program
This program aimed at enabling victims to get compensation without causing the church to ruin its reputation. The compensations are, however, less than that received on filing lawsuits.
California Catholic Diocese Clergy Abuse Bankruptcies
Several Catholic dioceses have been declared bankrupt while still in the process of clergy abuse lawsuits. Clergy abuse attorneys are helpful in situations where a victim is suing a bankrupt diocese and help them get a settlement and compensation.
Conclusion
The list of accused California priests contains names of clergy members in catholic churches who have previously been accused of child sexual abuse. The clergy members considered are priests and other clergies except for the volunteers, church staff, and religious leaders accused in a different state other than California. The list of priests is made accessible to the public worldwide. It is usually updated whenever any new information or accusations are added so long as the claims are not made up. However, the lawmakers in California help any survivor or victim whether the clergy member accused exists in the clergy list provided by the Catholic dioceses.
