MADISON — Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki, archbishop of Milwaukee, spoke at a public hearing held January 12 at the State Capitol against a bill that would, if passed, repeal the statute of limitations for all civil suits filed by childhood sexual abuse victims.
Senate Bill 319 and its counterpart AB-453, currently in committee in the State Assembly, would also create a window for suits previously barred by the statute of limitations. The current statute, amended in 2003, allows child sexual abuse victims 17 years past their 18th birthday to bring a case to civil court against their perpetrator or the perpetrator’s employer if the assault occurred due in part to the employer’s negligence.