Albany, USA - People who claimed they were sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests in two New York state dioceses waited too long to take their cases to court and cannot proceed with their lawsuits, the state's highest court ruled Tuesday.
In one case, John Zumpano argued the abuse he suffered while in parochial school in Utica from 1963 to 1970 rendered him mentally incapable of bringing a suit before the legal time limit. He argued the Syracuse diocese also tried to conceal the offending priest's wrongdoing to delay or prevent legal action and dissuaded legal action through its control over him.
Zumpano's civil lawsuit, filed in May 2003, was dismissed by a state Supreme Court judge who ruled that state law limits to 10 years any extension of the time to file a suit due to insanity. That decision was upheld Tuesday by the Court of Appeals in a 6-0 decision. All applicable statutes of limitations in the case expired in 1976.
In the second case, 42 people alleged they were abused by 13 priests in the Brooklyn Diocese between 1960 and 1985 when they were children. They filed suit in October 2002.
The case was dismissed by a Supreme Court judge who ruled the plaintiffs failed to show due diligence because they didn't pursue their claims for years despite personal knowledge of the abuse. That decision was also upheld by the Court of Appeals.