In October, Susan Marie Brock, the wife of Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock, was arrested on charges of having a long-term sexual relationship with a teenage boy. The teen, who is now 17, told police that the sexual abuse began when he was 14 years old.
Originally arrested on two counts of molestation of a child and two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, Brock faces 11 new charges according to a KPHO report. Though it is unclear how the two met, Brock is alleged to have provided the teen with numerous gifts over the three years that the sexual abuse continued including several iPods and iPhones.
Family friends found explicit text messages between the two and notified the family, who then contacted the police.
Push to Change the Limitations Period
Currently, Arizona provides victims of sexual abuse a two-year statute of limitations period in which to bring a civil claim for sexual abuse against their abuser. Those children, who are under 18 when the abuse occurs, must bring a civil claim within two years once they reach the age of 18. Since the teen has not yet reached the age of 18, he could bring a personal injury lawsuit for sexual abuse under the law.
According to a report in the Arizona Star, the Arizona Senate Judiciary Committee has considered a measure that would repeal the existing limitations period for victims of sexual abuse as a minor, giving future victims a lifetime to pursue civil damages against those responsible. The bill would also allow anyone who was abused in the past 35 years one year in which to file a claim, even if the limitations period had previously expired.
The measure has met some resistance from different groups. The Daily Star report notes that lobbyists representing Catholic bishops in Arizona and the Arizona School Risk Retention Trust have cited concerns over the ability for organizations like churches and schools to obtain liability insurance. Without a limitations period, the lobbyists argue, it would be impossible for those organizations to obtain the proper coverage.
The measure failed in the Arizona Senate, but it may be resurrected next year.
