It is very common for those who have experienced clergy abuse to decide to sue the church. This can happen within many different religious traditions and denominations. People sometimes experience abuse when they are very young, and they start lawsuits as they grow up and realize what happened to them. Some reports claim that there are more than 4,000 lawsuits pending just against the Catholic Church, for example.
However, reports also note that it often takes people decades to come forward with their allegations. Some people have been living with their stories for more than 40 years before telling anyone.
That’s what makes one of the newest lawsuits interesting. It has been started by someone who is just 22 years old, meaning that he is likely one of the youngest victims to move forward with this legal process.
What has changed?
One thing that the young man says has changed is that society is more likely to believe people who claim they have been abused. There has been a long enough track record of cases, and society has also seen the #MeToo movement and allegations of sexual harassment and abuse in other areas. He also claims that he has the support of his family, making it easier for him to come forward.
On top of that, he noted that “the house is still burning.” Essentially, he claims that these issues are still happening, despite the fact that they have been in the media now for decades. He said that part of the reason he moved forward with the lawsuit is simply to shed light on the fact that this is still going on and that the long-standing issues have not yet been resolved. The implication here is that there may be more victims who could potentially see his example and also choose to come forward.
These types of cases are common but very complex. It’s important for victims to understand what legal options they have and what steps to take.