LOS ANGELES -- Attention on the Roman Catholic sex-abuse scandal is expected to shift from Boston to Los Angeles in 2003 as a new California law lifts the statute of limitations in certain molestation cases.
As of Dec. 31, victims of priest sexual abuse from decades past can sue the Roman Catholic Church or other institutions in California's civil courts, according to The Associated Press.
At least 200 individual cases are slated to be filed Jan. 2, and at least 100 more are in some stage of formal preparation. Los Angeles is home to the country's largest Catholic archdiocese.
Until now, victims of childhood sexual abuse could sue up until their 26th birthday or within three years of discovering that their emotional problems could be linked to a molestation. Following nationwide revelations of clergy wrongdoing, however, the California legislature amended its statute of limitations to allow the older lawsuits.
