Want to Help a Sexual Abuse Victim in One Simple Way?
It could happen, if you just forward this blog to people you know who are in or grew up in New York & New Jersey.
Relatives, friends, therapists, former classmates. . .literally anyone
The dates below are deadlines by which child sex abuse survivors must speak up if they hope to get compensation from Catholic officials.
Anyone who was abused by any Catholic employee at any time should be aware of these dates:
Diocese of Syracuse - April 15
Diocese Camden - June 30
Diocese of Buffalo - August 14
Diocese of Rockville Centre (Long Island) - August 14
These four Catholic dioceses have sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. So a judge has enabled them to set hard and fast deadlines by which those who were hurt must step forward seeking justice and/or money.
Priests, brothers, nuns, seminarians, monks, bishops, parochial school workers, it likely doesn't matter exactly who the offender was. What DOES matter is the victim stepping forward before these dates.
And remember, child molesting Catholic clerics don't always victimize kids in their own church. Maybe it's a Protestant girl who just happened to live next door to the rectory. Or an agnostic boy who was hired to mow the parish lawn or shovel the parish sidewalk.
So don't just send this blog to current and former Catholics in those two states. Please send it to EVERYONE you know who are or were in New York and New Jersey.
The process involves, of course, filing some paperwork. It doesn't require an attorney. But we strongly advise any victim who's even considering moving ahead at least have a phone call with an independent lawyer, preferably one who's experienced in dealing with sexual abuse and cover-up cases involving the Catholic Church.
We at Horowitz Law aren't thrilled by the bankruptcy process.
We aren't convinced that this is the best way to deal with the hundreds of men and women who were traumatized during childhood.
But it's happening regardless. And many survivors find it healing to get at least some compensation for their pain and some formal acknowledgement of their suffering.
Our goal at Horowitz Law is to make sure that anyone who needs funds - for therapy, drug treatment or any reason, to compensate for years of difficulty - doesn't miss this opportunity.
"But I don't know anyone who was molested by a Catholic cleric," you may be thinking.
And that makes sense, since most people who were sexually assaulted as kids carry the secret to the grave.
The truth is, however, that you may never know if you know such victims. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't spread the word about these opportunities.
And victims can remain publicly anonymous throughout the bankruptcy and beyond. Their names won't be publicly revealed.
If you want to target your outreach to potential victims, we urge you to think about friends, family and acquaintances who have maybe been addicted, depressed, isolated, imprisoned, divorced, under-employed or shown some other sign of having lived a rocky life. Because no matter how hard a victim tries to ignore or overcome their childhood trauma, it usually manifests itself at some point, often with destructive or self-destructive behavior.
By reaching out to others, by sharing this post, you might just be giving a quietly struggling person a lifeline towards a more healthy and less desperate financial life.