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Final Day For Formerly Abused To Press Charges

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Wednesday is the last day for older adults who were sexually abused when they were children to file suit against their abusers.

The Minnesota Child Victims Act was passed in 2013, temporarily lifting the civil statute of limitations for these old cases

Before this act was passed three years ago, child sex abuse survivors had until age 24 to file suit. This law then allowed them to file civil lawsuits no matter how long ago the abuse happened.

Earlier this month, Jared Scheirel filed suit against Danny Heinrich. Heinrich is a person of interest in the Jacob Wetterling case.

Scheirel said when he was 12-years-old Heinrich  kidnapped and sexually assaulted him in Cold Spring, just months before Wetterling disappeared from St. Joseph.

Last October, investigators told Scheierl that Heinrich's DNA matched evidence in his assault from 1989. However, Heinrich can't face criminal charges in the case because the statute of limitations has expired.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis filed bankruptcy last year after hundreds of people filed abuse claims against it.

This week creditors and victims of clergy abuse filed suit saying the Archdiocese is not disclosing hundreds of millions of dollars in assets. The Archbishop responded by saying it has disclosed all assets and has followed the rules set forth by the court.

According to the Star Tribune, more than 850 child sex abuse claims have been made under the Minnesota Child Victims Act.

About 500 were made against Minnesota Catholic clergy.

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