Chris Clark, president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, recently wrote a letter to members claiming lawsuit reform is essential to business growth in Georgia. Not only is this false, but it is also a scare tactic which will only hurt Georgians. As a small business owner and long-time Chamber member, I feel compelled to respond to these falsities.
Category: Uncategorized
E-Scooters: The Law, Liability and Lessons
Electric scooters or “e-scooters” have been a hot topic since they started hitting our streets in 2017. They are all the rage … the positive definition but also the “angry rage” around their safety and how they have taken over our sidewalks and streets. They’ve provided challenges since the day they launched.
Proposed Legislation Requires Clergy to Report Suspected Cases of Child Abuse
By: Kevin M. Ketner, Penn Law
Spurred into action by the recent Catholic Church child sex abuse scandals, lawmakers from Virginia and Washington, D.C. have announced their intent to propose legislation that would add clergy members to the list of people legally required to report cases of suspected child abuse or neglect.
Why People Wait
Sexual Abuse Victims: Why They Wait
“Why did she wait so many years?”
That’s the question asked by many during the recent testimony by Christine Blasey Ford at Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court hearings. This is a common tactic for those who seek to question the validity of sexual assault allegations which occurred years ago. The implication is that the length of time between the assault and the accusation somehow makes the allegations less credible.
Public Outrage at Child Sexual Abuse Problem Continues, But New Legislation Seeking Justice for Georgia Victims Poses Viable Solution
A recent Pennsylvania grand jury report described internal documents from six Catholic dioceses revealing that more than 300 “predator priests” sexually abused more than 1,000 children over the course of several decades. Since its publication, the contents of this report have stirred widespread public outrage and reignited demands seeking justice for victims. While the report has brought these issues to the forefront yet again, it is unlikely to lead to any new criminal or civil consequences for the accused priests under current law.
Pennsylvania Boy Scout Leader Admits to Sexually Abusing Scouts for Nearly a Decade – State Revelations Highlight National Problem
Former Pennsylvania Boy Scout Leader, Stephen Piller, admitted Wednesday to sexually assaulting three minor Boy Scouts over the course of several years.
In an article published by The Associated Press, authorities reveal the 51-year-old man abused the scouts, both “at Piller’s home and at Camp Trexler, a Boy Scout facility in Monroe County [Pennsylvania].”
Sex Abuse and Statute of Limitations Why We Need the Hidden Predator Law Now More Than Ever
A new grand jury report says that internal documents from six Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania show that more than 300 “predator priests” have been credibly accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 child victims.” (CNN)
We’ve worked with many clients on similar cases, including filings against the Darlington School in Rome, Ga, the Northeast Georgia Boy Scout Council, and two Athens, Georgia churches. While this grand jury report is expansive, laws in place in Pennsylvania make it almost impossible for the victims to achieve justice. In Pennsylvania and many other states, including in Georgia, victims must file suit at a very young age, are allowed little time for discovery, and cannot file criminal charges past a certain point.
During the 2018 Legislative Session, we worked to strengthen Georgia’s Hidden Predator Law, which would have expanded protections for these victims. Those efforts were unsuccessful, but we continue to use every effort avenue available to support victims of childhood sexual abuse and to advocate for changes to the law in Georgia.
See links below to stories about the Pennsylvania cases from CNN and The New York Times.
Penn Law Files Suit Against Darlington School
Penn Law filed a lawsuit June 1 in Oconee County on behalf of seven additional former students of Darlington School alleging they were sexually abused by staff members of the school from 1977 to 1988. The total number of students alleging the abuse and represented by the Penn Law Group is 17. Lead attorney on the case, Darren Penn recently spoke with the media about the case.
WSBTV – Seven New Accusers Come Forward in Boarding School Sex Abuse Case
AJC – 17 Former Students Now Allege Sex Abuse at Georgia Boarding School
Rome News-Tribune – 17 File Suits Against Darlington
Coosa Valley News – More Accusers Come Forward in Darlington School Sex Scandal
Hometown Headlines – 17 civil suits filed against Darlington, renewing sexual abuse claims against a former teacher in the ’70s and ’80s.
Column: Georgia’s Senate Leadership Fails Child Sex Abuse Victims
WSB Radio host Monica Matthews writes about the recent failure by the Georgia Senate to pass a stronger version of the Hidden Predator Act.
Column: Georgia’s Senate leadership fails child sex abuse victims
3/28/18: Georgia’s Sexual Abuse Law Should Protect Children, Not #EntitiesToo
By Emma Hetherington, Director of the Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) Clinic
After the sentencing of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, victims of child sexual abuse and their advocates have been hopeful that they were finally being heard. The public outcry over Nassar’s crimes, along with the #metoo movement, has led to the introduction of new legislation throughout the country that protects victims from abusers and the organizations that harbor them.
In Georgia, the State House of Representatives unanimously passed House Bill 605 (“HB 605”), which would increase the age by which a victim can file a claim from 23 to 38 and allow a one-year retroactive window under which victims who were previously barred from filing claims could sue their abusers and entities who knew or should have known about the abuse.
Amendments passed in the Senate, however, have threatened to significantly weaken the bill in crucial ways. This has led to a showdown today at the Capitol as proponents of the House version fight for its survival.