Hundreds of lawsuits are hitting the Catholic church across California, enabled by a 2019 law that opened a three-year window for victims of child sexual abuse to file claims, regardless of when the abuse occurred.
That window closes at the end of the year and attorneys expect a flurry of activity over the next two weeks.
It often takes decades for survivors to come forward, advocates and researchers say, and many never will.
We wanted to better understand what victims now coming forward for the first time might be experiencing, so we spoke to John Salberg, who sued the Church 20 years ago after being abused as a child by a Bay Area priest.
Salberg said coming forward came with a cost, but he was driven to help stop abuse within the church and demand transparency from its leaders.
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