A Few Interesting Facts about California:
- Has the most children
- Has the most homeless kids
- Has the most children of color
- Has the largest Hispanic population of any state
Because these figures show that there are many vulnerable children in California, making it a predator's paradise. There's a second part of this potentially dangerous equation. California also has:
This means that there are also many organizations, situations, and locations in which kids are especially vulnerable. In light of this, we at Horowitz Law feel safe in predicting that there are now literally thousands of California men and women who were victimized as children by predators. You may see where this is headed.
At the risk of sounding like a broke record, we want to remind everyone that in less than one month, the chance for victims of child sex crimes in California to take legal action basically comes to an end. On December 31, the civil 'window' expires. The statute of limitations on child sexual abuse, which has been temporarily lifted or suspended, for now, will be over. On the first of January 2023, it will become much, much tougher for survivors of childhood trauma to seek remedies and expose wrongdoers in the civil justice system.
For months now, we at Horowitz Law have repeatedly begged readers of this blog to shout from the rooftops about this rare opportunity.
We've asked readers of this blog to ask friends, relatives, and acquaintances they know who spent time in California to make sure nothing "bad" happened to them when they were young. Admittedly, that's a tough question to raise, even to people you know well. So as the deadline quickly approaches, let us propose another idea - How about just forwarding this blog to those friends, relatives, and acquaintances who are or were in California as kids. That's an easier and less threatening way to spread the news of this now-short legal 'window.' But please move quickly. Filing a lawsuit isn't something that can happen overnight.
In preparation for this deadline, on this blog, we have looked closely at names of predators in one large institution: the Catholic church. Specifically, here are lists of California child molesting clerics that we at Horowitz Law have examined recently. We encourage you to share these links with your California contacts too:
We would be remiss, of course, if we neglected to mention the San Francisco Archdiocese. It may be the largest Catholic jurisdiction in the US that refuses to identify its predator priests. Luckily, some San Francisco child molesting clerics can be found at BishopAccountability.org
Two more quick points:
- According to abuse survivor and long-time advocate David Clohessy (former Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), here are the number of publicly accused predator priests in each of California's 12 Catholic dioceses: Los Angeles 362, San Diego 62, Sacramento 50, San Francisco 44, Oakland 49, Fresno 35, Monterey 32, San Bernardino 31, Santa Rosa 25, San Jose 22, Orange 27 and Stockton 14.
- Finally, here are two other Catholic entities based in California: the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg in the USA & Canada, headquartered in Glendale, and the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle, headquartered in El Cajon. http://www.kaldu.org/
But remember: the 'window' is now open for ANYONE abused by ANYONE at ANY TIME in California, especially those hurt in any kind of business or non-profit setting, not just in the Catholic Church. Do your part to ensure everyone who might benefit from this window knows about it. If you DO know or find someone who's been hurt like this, you cannot restore their shattered childhood or undo the long-lasting (but often unspoken) harm they've suffered. You can play a small part in helping them achieve justice, healing, and closure.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in California, contact our office today. The filing deadline is December 31, 2022, so please do not delay in reaching out to us. Contact us at 888-283-9922 or adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.