ChrisMaza
Member
Hey folks. I'm the one who wrote this story. It's actually a follow up of sorts on a story I did on this woman who is part of a group that testified in favor of legislation written by a Mass. state rep that would eliminate statutes of limitations in child sex abuse cases. About two months after I talked with her about that, she filed this suit.
This is my understanding of the statutes of limitations in Massachusetts, though I am not a lawyer:
In criminal cases, there is no statute of limitations, however if the event occurred 27 years ago or longer, independent evidence must corroborate the claim.
In civil cases, as was stated in the story, action must be taken "within three years of incident, within three years of the alleged victim turning 18 or three years from discovery that an emotional or psychological condition was caused by the abuse." From my understanding, the condition has to be diagnosed by a licensed psychologist/psychiatrist.
This is my understanding of the statutes of limitations in Massachusetts, though I am not a lawyer:
In criminal cases, there is no statute of limitations, however if the event occurred 27 years ago or longer, independent evidence must corroborate the claim.
In civil cases, as was stated in the story, action must be taken "within three years of incident, within three years of the alleged victim turning 18 or three years from discovery that an emotional or psychological condition was caused by the abuse." From my understanding, the condition has to be diagnosed by a licensed psychologist/psychiatrist.
