Flurry of molestation suits filed in New York

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – The Roman Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts and deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein are among the defendants facing sex abuse lawsuits in New York as the state moves to allow molestation lawsuits that had been blocked by the statute of limitations.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of people were expected to sue Wednesday, the first day of the one-year window for older molestation cases.

A woman who says she was raped by Epstein as a teenager in 2002 is suing his estate and three of his associates.

State lawmakers extended the statute of limitations this year for new victims and gave those with older abuse claims one year to sue their abusers or institutions or businesses that employed them.

New York’s old statute of limitations was among America’s most restrictive.