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Edwin Gaynor, of Ossining, is accused of fondling a minor during a gym class in the 1960s when he worked at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Scarsdale, according to a lawsuit filed in Westchester County civil court.
It is alleged that the Archdiocese of New York knew of the abuse and rather than handle the situation, they instead continued to move Gaynor to different schools, none of which have been named in the lawsuit accusing him of fondling the student.
Gaynor’s alleged victim reportedly said he was molested from years, and that he took the child to his home and continued to sexually abuse him. His victim allegedly told school officials, who ignored him.
On Wednesday, Aug. 14, a provision of New York’s Child Victims Act took effect, making the start of the one-year period when alleged victims can file claims against alleged abusers and institutions that protected them, no matter how long ago the abuse may have occurred.
Victims of sexual abuse in New York previously were required to file any civil lawsuits before they turned 23. Under the new law, anyone under the age of 55 can file a lawsuit, and during the one-year window, older victims can also make claims.
“The revived Child Victims Act cases are critically important cases, raising numerous challenging legal issues that must be adjudicated as consistently and expeditiously as possible across the state,” New York Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks said. “We are fully committed to providing appropriate and sufficient resources to achieve that goal.”
The one-year window where the statute of limitations will be lifted on these cases in New York ends on Aug. 14, 2020. The Archdiocese has paid out more than $60 million from its victims' fund following hundreds of reports of abuse in New York.
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