By Seamus McGraw
(Continued)
Although the allegations made by Doe and the others were enough to trigger a tangentially related murder case, Warren and the other priests who allegedly abused the children of the Toledo Diocese more than two decades ago, have escaped formal prosecution, though the church has stripped Warren of his Roman collar.
And there are also questions about the fate of future civil complaints. The Diocese has settled a lawsuit with several of the alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests, though others have come forward since. But Ohio law currently only allows a two-year window after a victim turns 18 to pursue a civil case against an alleged sex abuser. It took some twenty years before the alleged victims could find anyone to believe them.
There have been efforts to change that. Earlier this year the Ohio legislature took up a measure that would extend the statute of limitations from two to twenty years and would also establish, temporarily, a "look back" window that would allow suits to be filed on claims dating back some 35 years.
The measure is opposed by the Catholic Conference of Ohio which argued that it was unconstitutional and could expose churches to frivolous lawsuits.
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