Holding Abusers Accountable in Civil Court
One way to hold clergy abusers accountable is to file a civil lawsuit against them in Colorado courts. Recently, Colorado has made this easier. In January 2022, a law went into effect that eliminates the “statute of limitations” for civil lawsuits involving sexual abuse. A second law also went into effect and created a three year window for those whose were abused on or after 1960 to bring their sexual abuse claims, which may have otherwise expired due to the statute of limitations. But, these survivors must bring their claims before the end of December 2024,
Moving forward, nearly all sex abuse survivors are eligible to file lawsuits against the priests, bishops, pastors, and other clergy members who abused them—no matter how much time has passed.
