Well you’re certainly right. Money can never repair that damage. I tell you what, if I could repair that damage, I wouldn’t be a lawyer. I find my work helping injury victims to be very satisfying, but if I could go back in time and repair that kind of damage, that would be infinitely more satisfying. The problem is that our legal system only provides monetary remedies for injury victims. It’s a poor substitute, but we don’t have time machines so it’s the best we’ve got.

I applaud your support of David Martin and I’m sure he appreciates it at this time. You may not have seen any of the signs I hypothesized about. You certainly weren’t around him at all times – certainly not during all the more private times when he was more likely to show those signs. Heck, I admit that he may never have shown signs. What I do know is that his disease is a chronic one and is not easily abated. That is why I feel safe guessing there were other signs.

As far as civil liability goes, if someone felt that a civil action would draw out their recovery process, then they are free to avoid filing a claim. I would never force anyone into a situation detrimental to their mental health. It would be an option the could consider. As far as your comment about civil liability hurting the church, you’re absolutely right and that is the whole point. The entire reason for civil liability is to hurt the church (in this case). Institutions need to bear more of the burden of protecting our children. Now they have no legal incentive to train their employees on what to look for, etc. They have no legal incentive to put programs in place that could avoid this type of child abuse.

Addressing your last comment, financial compensation would certainly help. It could pay for their treatment and recovery. It could put the children through college or allow them to open a business of their own and contribute to society. I disagree with you wholeheartedly on that point. Financial compensation would help them in very tangible ways.