THE CLAIM IN THIS CHILD VICTIMS ACT ACTION SUFFICIENTLY STATED THE TIME AND NATURE OF THE SEXUAL ABUSE ALLEGEDLY OCCURRING DURING FOSTER CARE MORE THAN 40 YEARS AGO; THE PLEADING REQUIREMENTS IN THE COURT OF CLAIMS AND THE MECHANICS AND PURPOSE OF THE CHILD VICTIMS ACT CONCISELY EXPLAINED (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, reversing the Court of Claims, determined the claim in this Child Victims Act action, alleging abuse during foster care more than 40 years ago, sufficiently stated the time and nature of the abuse. The decision includes a clear, concise description of the pleading requirement in the Court of Claims, and the mechanics and purpose of the Child Victims Act, which extends that statute of limitations for sexual abuse occurring when the victim was under the age of 18:
Under the particular circumstances of this case, the date ranges provided in the claim indicating that the sexual abuse began when the claimant was 4 years old and “occurred between two to three times a week to three to four times a year” until she was 12 years old while she resided in a foster home, along with other information contained in the claim, including the identities of the claimant’s foster parents, the address of the foster home, and names of the claimant’s alleged abusers, were sufficient to satisfy the “time when” requirement of the Court of Claims Act § 11(b) … . * * *
In this case, the claim sufficiently provided the defendant with a description of the manner in which the claimant was injured, and how the defendant was negligent in allegedly failing to protect the claimant from sexual abuse while she resided in a foster home. The claimant is not required to set forth the evidentiary facts underlying the allegations of negligence in order to satisfy the section 11(b) nature of the claim requirement … . As the claim is sufficiently detailed to allow the defendant to investigate and ascertain its liability, it satisfies the nature of the claim requirement of Court of Claims Act § 11(b) … . Fletcher v State of New York, 2023 NY Slip Op 03850, Second Dept 7-19-23
Practice Point: Here the plaintiff alleged sexual abuse while in foster care more than 40 years ago. Given the purpose of the Child Victims Act, which is clearly explained in this decision, the claim sufficiently described the time and nature of the alleged abuse.