2 lawmakers vow to push -- again -- to raise R.I.'s limit on sex-abuse suits

As allegations emerge of hundreds of priests in Pennsylvania sexually abusing more than 1,000 children over several decades, two Rhode Island lawmakers pledged Thursday to push even harder next year for legislation giving victims of such abuse more time to seek civil damages.

In Massachusetts, alleged victims of sexual child abuse have 35 years to file a civil lawsuit. In Connecticut the statute of limitations is 30 years after the alleged victim reaches adulthood.

Rhode Island allows seven years from the time of the alleged incident or when it was “discovered.”

A proposal to repeal that seven-year statute of limitations never reached rank-and-file lawmakers for a vote during the last session, a point that still angers sponsors Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee, D-South Kingstown, and Sen. Donna M. Nesselbush, D-Pawtucket.

Read more: http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20180816/2-lawmakers-vow-to-push---again---to-raise-ris-limit-on-sex-abuse-suits