New Bill Could Give Molestation Victims More Time To File Lawsuits

BOSTON (AP) — A legislative panel is being urged to pass a bill that would give child molestation victims until age 55 to file lawsuits against their alleged attackers.

Among those who testified in favor of the bill on Tuesday was Eric MacLeish, an attorney who represented victims in the case that led to an $85 million sexual abuse settlement against the Boston Archdiocese. MacLeish later revealed that he had been abused as a boy at a boarding school in England.

MacLeish says his own experience led him to understand how difficult it is even for adults to come to terms with past events.

Under current Massachusetts law, victims have only until age 21 to file a lawsuit, though in some cases an older person can file suit within three years of their first realization that they had harmed by the abuse.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.