Local/State

Del. bill targets teachers sex abuse

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Tags:

delaware, child sex assault, child luring, teachers, local/state

Associated Press

DOVER, Del. - March 21, 2012 (WPVI) -- The House Judiciary Committee is poised to consider a bill that would subject government employees and agencies in Delaware to lawsuits by victims of child sexual abuse.

The bill to be considered Wednesday would waive the government's sovereign immunity, which typically shields the state from lawsuits, in cases of sexual abuse of minors. That waiver would apply to the state as well as its political subdivisions, including school districts.

The bill also would allow victims of past child sex abuse a limited period in which they could file lawsuits that otherwise would be barred by the passage of time. A similar provision was included in a 2007 law that paved the way for several priest sex abuse lawsuits.