Between September 2019 and December 2020 cases were filed under New York's Child Victims Act that accused 39 clergy and a lay teacher in the diocese of abuse, NorthCountryPublicRadio.org reported. Analysis of the cases in New York state was conducted by a law firm representing some of the child abuse survivors. The oldest alleged incidents were from 1959 ending with the most recent ones occurring in 1995. The Child Victims Act allows adult survivors of child sex abuse to file charges against their perpetrators. The law included what’s called a “look-back period” to allow adults to file charges even if the statute of limitations for the crimes has passed. The governor and legislature extended the look-back period because of the pandemic but it is set to expire on August 14. Liam O'Doherty and John Fallon are named in eight cases, more than any other accused clergy from the Diocese of Ogdensburg according to the analysis by the law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates. Their documents state that Fallon died in 2005 and O'Doherty was "absent on leave" or "absent on sick leave" from 1999-2003. O'Doherty was reported to be a resident of the Vianney Renewal Center in Missouri. The center is known as a residence for priests accused of sexual abuse of minors.
