Jehovah Witness victims of Childhood Sex Abuse - and all supporters from California - Urgent Action Alert! Contact Assembly members today!

by Sol Reform 36 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  Sol Reform

  http://theworthyadversary.com/2200-california-child-victims-act-passes-assembly-floor-vote

  California Child Victims’ Act Passes Assembly Floor Vote Posted by Joelle Casteix on September 4, 2013 in Child safety, Clergy Abuse Crisis | Subscribe Senate Bill 131 – The California Child Victims’ Act – just passed an Assembly floor vote, 42-14. The bill give victims of child sexual abuse a one-year window to come forward and use the civil court system to get justice and accountability. It is also a huge step forward for ALL victims of abuse—the more we expose abuse in private institutions, the easier it will be to pass legislation that eliminates sovereign immunity (the legal barrier to suing public institutions for crimes like child sexual abuse).

  The bill now goes back to the Senate for a final floor vote.

  Remember – we would know little to nothing about the criminal activity of men like Cardinal Roger Mahony were it not for the 2003 window. Statewide, more than 250 predators—dozens in Orange County—were exposed (with supporting documents and evidence to go with it!). Men like Denis Lyons and Michael Baker would never have seen a day behind bars, and and the crimes at places like Mater Dei High School would never have been exposed. You can contact your state senator here. - See more at: http://theworthyadversary.com/2200-california-child-victims-act-passes-assembly-floor-vote#sthash.m79kCoad.dpuf

  contact your state senator here > http://senate.ca.gov/senators
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  Sol Reform

  http://sol-reform.com/News/california/

  Action Alert Final Vote: SB 131 goes to Senate for concurrence of amendments as early as today, September 6th:

  SB 131, the Child Victims Act in CA, is the bill that, if passed, will allow me to seek compensation and treatment for my kidnapping and assault, facilitated by the School of the Madeleine and the Catholic Diocese of San Diego, which remains unapologetic and unwilling to compensate me and other victims of abuse. SB 131 may move to the Senate as early as today! Please call now! 21 Senate votes are needed to complete the bill process with a concurrence of amendments. Then, the bill may go to the Governor. Please contact all Senate members today, and ask them to vote YES on SB 131 to save my life, to help me and other survivors of abuse, and to stop child rapists and those who protect them. CA Senators: http://senate.ca.gov/senators History of votes: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml Track this bill: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_131&sess=CUR&house=B&author=beall Updated information: www.facebook.com/TiffanyMoonFoundationforAbductionRecovery Helpful information: Most Democrats are voting Yes and simply need your reminder to vote (and to vote Yes!); calls of support to their offices will help. These Republican senators (including my own representative, Joel Anderson), however, are opposing the bill; please contact them repeatedly, and ask them to vote Yes:
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  Sol Reform

  http://theworthyadversary.com/2206-sb-131-passes-senate-floor-now-on-to-the-governor

  SB 131 Passes Senate Floor – Now On To The Governor

  Posted by Joelle Casteix on September 6, 2013 in Uncategorized | Subscribe SB 131 – the Child Victims’ Act – has become the “little bill that could.” Despite great odds and millions of dollars spent on lobbying to kill the bill (by Roman Catholic and USA Swimming officials), SB 131 passed the senate floor vote 21-8 and is heading to Governor Jerry Brown’s desk.

  There is talk that California’s bishops have heavily (and personally) lobbied Brown, a former Jesuit seminarian, to veto the bill. Brown needs to know that this anti-crime bill—which holds wrong-doers accountable and protects kids RIGHT NOW—is a top priority for California. Tell Governor Brown you support SB 131.

  You can write his office directly here. - See more at: http://theworthyadversary.com/2206-sb-131-passes-senate-floor-now-on-to-the-governor#sthash.QG2d1QHf.h8xz3xJG.dpuf

  You can write his office directly here > http://govnews.ca.gov/gov39mail/mail.php
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  Sol Reform

  http://www.hermanlaw.com/blog/2013/09/09/california-passes-bill-opening-window-133656

  California passes bill opening window for childhood sexual abuse lawsuits By Jeff Herman September 09, 2013 Tagged with: California Sexual Abuse Attorney Sexual Abuse Attorney Clergy Sexual Abuse California Sexual Abuse Bill Jeff Herman California legislators have approved a bill that would open a one-year window for some victims of childhood sexual abuse to sue religious organizations and other private or nonprofit groups that employed their abusers. The bill passed in the California Senate on Friday and now awaits a signature from Gov. Jerry Brown. As I mentioned in a post last week, SB131 was a hotly debated bill that would allow victims who were over the age of 26 in 2003 to bring lawsuits next year against their alleged abusers and the institutions that employed them. This is an important moment for victims of childhood sexual abuse in California who were denied justice by the statute of limitations and left to suffer in silence for years. From my experience representing hundreds of victims of sexual abuse in civil lawsuits around the country, I know that it can take years or even decades for many victims to confront and process sexual abuse. I applaud the legislators and advocates in California who fought for these victims to be able to have their day in court. Hopefully 2014 will be a year of justice and healing for victims of childhood sexual abuse in California.
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  Sol Reform

  http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2013/09/09/church-sex-abuse-victims-cheer-bill-heading-to-gov-browns-desk/

  Church Sex Abuse Victims Cheer Bill Heading To Gov. Brown’s Desk

  September 9, 2013 6:49 PM

  Share on email View Comments Reporting Andrea Menniti

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  Local, News, Seen On, Syndicated Local

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  church sex abuse, News, Stockton Diocese STOCKTON (CBS13) — Victims of church sex abuse may get more time to sue religious organizations and those who abused them under a bill heading to the governor’s desk.

  “It’s very exciting and we are very hopeful.” Kathleen Conti is pleased the senate passed SB131. The Stockton woman says she was abused by a Jehovah’s Witness leader when she was a teenager, and a family member also became a victim.

  “The only way you are going to stop pedophiles is to identify them and warn people—allow us as parents to know who they are within our congregations. Otherwise, how do we know? How can we protect other children.” Lawmakers say the bill corrects a Supreme Court case that, because the statute of limitations had been reached, denied a narrow group of child sex-abuse victims the right sue religious organizations, private and nonprofit groups that employed their abusers. “If we didn’t do it, the law would still be invalid and the people would waiting on the legislature to see if we wanted to correct the law,” said Sen. Jim Beall. Under the proposed law, victims over the age of 26 in 2003 will have a chance to file lawsuits during a one-year period. In a statement, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said, “Institutions should and must be held accountable when they know about abuse, do nothing to stop it, and allow abusers to move on and target other innocent children. The passage of SB 131 is the first step in a long civil rights battle for all victims of child sexual abuse.” It’s not clear how the proposed bill would affect the Diocese of Stockton, which is considering bankruptcy after paying out millions of dollars to settle child sex-abuse lawsuits. The bill passed the Senate on Friday and it’s on its way to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk.
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  Sol Reform

  What a sad story of Jehovah's Witness 'overlapping generation' of cyclical child sex abuse within The Christian Congregation of Jehovah Witnesses.

  May Kathleen Conti's words educate California Church goers that its not only a Roman Catholic Church issue. http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/calif-catholics-urge-veto-of-bill-that-could-bankrupt-dioceses/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+catholicnewsagency%2Fdailynews-us+%28CNA+Daily+News+-+US%29 Calif. advances abuse bill that could bankrupt Catholic dioceses 0 Comments Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, California. Credit: Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Los Angeles, Calif., Sep 10, 2013 / 04:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A California sex abuse bill that has been described as discriminatory against the Catholic Church has passed the legislature and is advancing to the governor’s desk. Last Friday, the bill passed the State Senate by a vote of 21-8 at the close of the legislative session, and opponents are now asking for a veto from California Governor Jerry Brown. The legislation would lift the statute of limitations on child sex abuse lawsuits against private schools and private employers who failed to take action against sexual abuse by employees or volunteers. It would allow alleged victims younger than 31 to sue employers of abusers, extending present age limit for alleged victims presently set at 26 years-old. The bill specifically exempts public schools and other government institutions from lawsuits. It also exempts the actual perpetrators of the abuse from civil action in some cases, while leaving their employers vulnerable. Potentially the most damaging provision of the legislation creates a one-year window on the statute of limitations for sex abuse lawsuits against employers. A similar legal window in 2003 resulted in almost 1,000 claims against the Catholic Church in California, with legal awards totaling to $1.2 billion. Some of these claims dated back to the 1950s. Kevin Eckery, a spokesman for the California Catholic Conference, told CNA June 11 that the Catholic Church in California can no longer rely on insurance policies and sales of property and other assets to meet the costs of any new lawsuits. “If there were claims that were resurrected for a third time, you can find situations where dioceses might be forced to close schools. In the case of one of our dioceses, the Diocese of Stockton, they’re worried they might have to file for bankruptcy,” he said. Other opponents of the bill include private institutions such as the YMCA, the YWCA, and the California Council of Non-Profit Organizations. The Wall Street Journal criticized the bill as a “nonprofit shakedown” that targets the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts, and the “political enemies” of the legislature, in which Democrats hold a supermajority of seats. The California Catholic Conference said the bill forces private employers by “forcing them to deal with an unworkable legal and business climate where they face unlimited liability of unlimited duration.”

  The bill creates conditions where “the passage of time makes it impossible to mount an effective defense,” the conference said in a June 12 alert.
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  Sol Reform

  http://popecrimes.blogspot.ca/2013/08/california-bill-sb-131-must-win-next.html

  Governor Jerry Brown, please sign SB 131 immediately….Contact/write to the Governor, tell him you support SB 131 Updated September 7, 2013 21-8. Thank you Senators, for voting YES to SB 131… you’ve given another victory for California children Please tell Governor Brown you support SB 131. You can write his office directly here http://govnews.ca.gov/gov39mail/mail.php ; Dear Governor Jerry Brown, With your good moral conscience - and compassionate heart, please sign immediately bill SB 131 - because the people of California have spoken unanimously through their Representatives and Senators - and now it is time for the victims who’ve been waiting for years to have their day in court. The crimes against American children systemically covered-up by (especially by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese) in Los Angeles and throughout California must not be hidden in the dust of history -- nor must they be given the chance to be shredded and forgotten forever into oblivion .

  As a Catholic and former Jesuit seminarian, for sure you believe in the Patroness of California, Our Lady of Guadalupe. She inspires us to invite you to please take time to gaze at this image where she carries a child and protect children away from the evil serpent.

  Please read all the articles in this post and especially our letter to Judge Emile Elias of Los Angeles who made the historic decision to release all records of pedophile priests instead of shredding them into the perpetual secrecy of the ancient Roman Catholic Church http://popecrimes.blogspot.ca/2012/12/judge-elias-please-release-all.html .
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  truthseekeriam

  Will do.
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  Sol Reform

  Join sexual abuse survivors on Friday 9/20 in Sacramento on the Capitol lawn, to show your support of SB 131.
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  AuntConnie

  Am I too late to help little sheep? I can write under another alias and share some of the horrible sexual abuse experiences I know of. What do I do?