A lawsuit alleging sexual abuse against the state of New York was dismissed by the state Court of Appeals due to insufficient specific information. The case, filed under the Child Victims Act, claimed repeated assaults at a state-run theater from 1986 to 1990. The judges sided with the state attorney general, stating the allegations were too vague for adequate investigation. Advocates criticized the ruling for setting high barriers for abuse survivors to recall events, neglecting trauma's impact on memory. This case highlights the challenge survivors face in pursuing justice under the law.
"The claim lacks critical information about the abusers. It alleges that the perpetrators included teachers, coaches, counselors, and perhaps other employees of the state, but it does not explain whether those employees were ... teachers, coaches, and counselors or why, as a child, he was in their company multiple times between 1986 and 1990," according to the decision by Judge Caitlin Halligan.
"This interpretation neglects the modern scientific consensus on the neurobiological impact of trauma, which can severely disrupt memory recall and the ability for victims to articulate their experiences." - Jessica Schidlow, legal director of CHILD USA.
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