Molestation Victims’ Rights Bill Vetoed

Gov. George Deukmejian vetoed a bill Monday by Sen. Lucy Killea (D-San Diego) that would have allowed victims of child molestation to sue their attackers for damages covered by the assailant’s homeowners policy.

The bill, originally introduced by former Sen. Larry Stirling, now a San Diego Municipal Court judge, would have allowed molestation victims the right to a civil court hearing to try to collect insurance money from their attackers to pay for emotional and physical damages.

Such civil court hearings are now allowed for the adult victims of rape, second-degree murder and drunk driving; child-molestation victims are singled out as the only ones that cannot take civil action against their attackers and their insurance companies, according to Killea’s office.

After her election to fill Stirling’s seat, Killea assumed responsibility for the bill and expressed disappointment at Deukmejian’s veto of the measure, which received strong bipartisan support throughout the legislative process.

“Victims of child molestation deserve the same protection as adult crime victims,” Killea said in a press release. “We should not deny them basic civil recourse that can provide them the means to afford treatment of mental and physical injury.”