OH--Group hopes state damages cap is lifted in abuse cases
For immediate release: Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015
Statement by Claudia Vercellotti of Toledo SNAP (419-345-9291, [email protected])
Next week, the Ohio Supreme Court will have a chance to lift Ohio’s unwise cap on damages for victims of horrific child sex crimes. We hope the justices will side with innocent, vulnerable kids and deeply wounded adults over institutional wrongdoers.
Financial penalties deter wrongdoing. It’s just that simple. That’s why we support the effort to lift the cap on damages. As a society, we must encourage, not discourage, victims of sexual violence to come forward, seek justice, and expose and punish those who commit or conceal child sex crimes.
It’s absurd and disingenuous for business lobby groups to claim that the clergy sex abuse and cover up case involved here is an “outlier.” Thousands of boys and girls are sexually violated every year in Ohio. Many of these crimes happen in schools, churches, camps and day care centers where officials know or should know how to prevent this horror.
But when these officials act recklessly or callously, they must be held responsible. That’s what jury awards do. And these awards make other employers and co-workers start behaving more responsibly when they see or suspect child sex crimes.
We applaud the courage of Jessica Simpkins, who was 15 years old when she was raped by her pastor, Rev. Brian Williams, at Grace Brethren Church in Sunbury. (Williams went to prison.) We are grateful she exposed wrongdoing at this church and that a jury sent a strong pro-child, anti-abuse signal. We hope that Ohio’s Supreme Court will send an equally strong signal to those who might be tempted to ignore, hide, minimize or even enable similar crimes in the future.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected], [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected])
Ohio court case seeks to increase amount of money child sex abuse victims can receive
By Ted Hart, Published: December 9, 2015, 7:10 pm Updated: December 9, 2015, 10:20 pm
SUNBURY, Ohio (WCMH)–The Ohio Supreme Court will hear arguments next week in a case that challenges the constitutionality of the Ohio law that limits compensation for childhood victims of sexual abuse.
At the center of the case is Jessica Simpkins, who was 15 years old when . . .
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director