Lawyer: Loophole may limit plaintiffs

Discussion in 'College Football' started by truebluefan, Nov 13, 2011.

  1. truebluefan

    truebluefan Administrator Staff Member Administrator

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    Joe Paterno may face civil lawsuits as a result of the Penn State sexual abuse scandal, and if that happens, one attorney said Paterno's legal representatives and other defendants could try to use what the attorney considers a flaw in Pennsylvania state law that limits the rights of victims.

    Plaintiffs currently over the age of 20 can pursue lawsuits only in cases of sexual abuse that involved "forcible compulsion." That definition includes rape, but not always lesser forms of physical contact, said Shanin Specter, a litigator in Philadelphia whose firm has been contacted by the family of one of the alleged victims.

    That loophole could present a challenge for some of the potential plaintiffs, Specter said. Legal teams for Paterno and any other defendants could argue that the boys had the choice of being touched inappropriately by former Nittany Lions assistant Jerry Sandusky.

    Read more: http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_...rno-law-team-try-use-potential-legal-loophole
     

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