Another lawsuit has been filed under the Child Victims Act, this time against a former employee at the Western New York Children’s Psychiatric Center in West Seneca who allegedly sexually abused a patient during the 1980s.
The lawsuit claims the accuser, who was admitted to the center when he was 12 years old, was sexually assaulted by Marshall Krzos, a nurse at the center, for months. A Buffalo News article from 1989 states that Krzos pleaded guilty to two counts of sex abuse. The article further claims that Krzos was one of several staff members found to be abusing patients at the center in the 1980s.
What the Child Victims Act Means for Child Sexual Abuse Victims
The state of New York passed the Child Victims Act in February 2019, allowing survivors of child sexual abuse, including those sexually abused by healthcare professionals, until the age of 55 to file a civil lawsuit against their attackers and the institutions that protected them. Criminal felony charges can be sought until the victim is 28 years old and misdemeanors can be filed until the victim is 25 years old.
The CVA also allows child sexual abuse victims a one-time “look back” window of opportunity to file civil claims where the statute of limitations has already passed. This means as a victim, you are able to file a civil lawsuit until August 14, 2020 against the perpetrator and the institution that harbored him or her regardless of how long ago you were sexually abused. In other words, if you were 23 years old or older on February 14, 2019, you must file a sex abuse related action against the appropriate defendants no later than August 14, 2019.
Call Us for More Information!
If you or a loved one is the victim of child sexual abuse, you need to know how the Child Victims Act can help you get the justice you deserve. For more information or to better understand how this law can help you, please call our professional help center at 212-385-4410.
