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The Franciscan Friars of California have filed for bankruptcy, and the Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California has set a final deadline of July 19, 2024, at 5 PM Pacific Time, for survivors of sexual abuse by the Franciscan Friars of California to file claims for damages against the friars. This is your last chance for restitution. If you do not file a claim and the bankruptcy proceeds to its conclusion, you will be permanently barred from taking action against the friars. Additional information is pasted below.

Fr. James Chevedden, a Catholic priest who accused another Jesuit of sexually assaulting him, died under suspicious circumstances on May 19, 2004. We stand in solidarity with Fr. James’ family, as we near the 20^th anniversary of his death.

San Jose authorities concluded that Fr. James committed suicide on his birthday by jumping from the roof of a parking structure across the street from the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice on May 19, 2004. However, his family has always questioned this finding.

Fr. James told his family in 2002 that he had been sexually assaulted by Br. Charles Leonard Connor. At the time, both men were living at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Altos, California.

According to Fr. James, the assault by Br. Connor occurred when Fr. James was recovering from the injuries he sustained when he jumped from a window-washing scaffold on the Sacred Heart grounds in 1998. After surgery for his injuries, Fr. James was confined to a wheelchair with casts on both feet, and he was escorted around the facility at times by Br. Connor. It was then that Fr. James was sexually and physically assaulted by Br. Connor.

Rebecca Surendorff, Co-Chair of Ohioans for Child Protection, asked us to pass along this important message. Since 2019 the parents and grandparents of Ohioans for Child Protection have been asking lawmakers to craft legislation to protect Ohio's children.  

Your help is urgently needed! Ohio House Bill 322 would criminalize grooming a child for the purpose of sexual abuse. This bill was voted out of committee with bipartisan support and with endorsements from the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association and Child USAdvocacy.

What can you do? Call or email your Representatives, as well the House Leadership, before Wednesday, April 24^th, and urge them to pass HB 322.

Letters of support are needed for AB 2295 by April 16th!

This is the last day to register your support in the Assembly Public Safety Committee's official record before the first policy hearing on April 23, 2024. 

AB 2295, authored by Assembly Member Dawn Addis, would eliminate the statute of limitations going forward in criminal cases being brought against perpetrators of child sexual assault. This will allow child victims to seek justice, get these perpetrators off the streets, and thereby prevent more child sexual assaults. It will also create a public record of these offenders so churches, youth organizations, and communities can take the appropriate steps to prevent their access to children. You can find a fact sheet about AB 2295 here.

We request your support for SB-894 (Min): Sexual Exploitation by a Member of the Clergy. This bill would bring California in line with 13 other states and the District of Columbia in establishing criminal statutes for sexual exploitation of adults by clergy, similar to existing laws governing sexual relationships between therapists or doctors and their patients. The current gap in protection leaves many individuals without the necessary support and resources to address the trauma and harm caused by these actions.

SB-894 aims to rectify this by extending legal protections to adults who are sexually exploited by members of the clergy. By recognizing and addressing the specific dynamics of power and trust inherent in these relationships, this legislation seeks to provide avenues for justice and support for victims abused by members of the clergy as adults.

The hearing for SB-894 is scheduled for April 9, 2024, and we are eager to secure letters of support as soon as possible.

SNAP Call for Action to Support California AB 2295

Elimination of Statute of Limitations for Child Sex Abuse Crimes

Request for Emails and Letters to California Assembly Members on the Public Safety Committee 

AB 2295, authored by Assembly Member Dawn Addis, will likely have its first policy hearing in the Assembly Public Safety Committee in late March. We need to write letters to the Committee Members NOW urging their Yes vote on this bill!

Last chance for restitution!

The Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California has set a final deadline of February 20, 2024, for the Archdiocese of San Francisco to receive claims from survivors of sexual abuse by clergy or others. If you did not file a lawsuit in the recently closed civil window, this is your last chance for restitution. If you were abused before August 21, 2023, and you have not filed a lawsuit or do not file a claim and the bankruptcy proceeds to its conclusion, you will be permanently barred from taking action against the Archdiocese. Additional information is pasted below.

Last chance for restitution!

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Maryland, has set a final deadline of May 31, 2024, for the Archdiocese of Baltimore to receive claims from survivors of sexual abuse by clergy or others. This is your last chance for restitution. If you do not file a claim and the bankruptcy proceeds to its conclusion, you will be permanently barred from taking action against the Archdiocese.

Last chance for restitution!

The Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California has set a final deadline of February 20, 2024, for the Archdiocese of San Francisco to receive claims from survivors of sexual abuse by clergy or others. If you did not file a lawsuit in the recently closed civil window, this is your last chance for restitution. If you do not file a claim and the bankruptcy proceeds to its conclusion, you will be permanently barred from taking action against the Archdiocese. Additional information is pasted below.