Michigan lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation Tuesday that would give victims of sexual abuse more time to sue for damages as the state again looks to overhaul laws following multiple sexual abuse scandals.
The legislation, which appeared before a committee Tuesday afternoon, would expand the civil statute of limitations for sex abuse victims from age 28 to 52. If enacted, victims would also have a two-year window to sue retroactively, regardless of the time limit.
The new measures would allow victims of the late Dr. Robert Anderson at the University of Michigan and others additional time to bring lawsuits that have previously been barred by the statute of limitations. Government entities could not use the immunity defense if they knew or should have known of an accused’s prior sexual misconduct and failed to intervene.
PARTISAN RIFT STALLS PA’S PROPOSED STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS WAIVER FOR SEX ABUSE CASES
Greg D’Alessandro and Brian Hurtekant spoke publicly for the first time Monday with The Associated Press about abuse they had suffered decades before at the hands of Catholic priests. Both men have been unable to bring civil lawsuits because of Michigan’s statute of limitations.
D’Alessandro, who is now 45 years old, has accused two priests of sexually abusing him between the age of 9 and 13 while he was a student in metro Detroit. D’Alessandro said he had repressed memories of the abuse for years and only recently, through hours of therapy, began to understand what happened to him as a child.
Sexual assault victims Brian Hurtekant and Greg D’Alessandro testified Monday in favor of a bipartisan effort to drastically expand Michigan’s statute of limitations in sex abuse cases. (AP Photo/Joey Cappelletti)
“If it’s not the worst thing that one human being can do to another, especially a child in the name of God, then I don’t know what is,” D’Alessandro said in a phone interview.
Hurtekant, who is now 56, said his abuse began at the age of 13 following the death of his brother. The priest, James Martin Novak, had overseen his brother’s funeral and acted as his therapist as he processed the grief. The sexual abuse began in the sixth grade and continued until the ninth grade, Hurtekant said.
In 2019, the St. Therese Church in Lansing published a list of 17 priests, including Novak, who had been credibly accused of abusing minors. There were 73 allegations against the priests. Novak could not be reached for comment by the AP.
“We were children that were raised in sexual abuse,” Hurtekant said. “We deserve our day in court and for justice to be served.”
This will be the third time the legislation is introduced in the Michigan Legislature but the first since Democrats took full control of the Legislature and governor’s office this year.
Pushback has previously come from universities, schools, municipalities, businesses and the Catholic Church over the financial implications of facing an unknown number of lawsuits for old allegations.
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