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MO Sup. Ct. will hear case over repressed memories

Missouri Supreme Court building
Missouri Supreme Court building

By AP/KWMU

Jefferson City, MO – The Missouri Supreme Court will decide whether an adult can sue for childhood sex abuse based on the recent recollection of repressed memories.

A state appeals court in St. Louis ruled last week that Michael Powel's lawsuit can go forward against a Catholic group and the Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis County.

Powel contends he didn't recall the abuse he suffered in the 1970s until he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2000.

Under normal circumstances, the statute of limitations to sue would have long expired. But Powel contends the clock did not start ticking until he remembered his abuse.

A trial judge had dismissed Powel's case. But the appeals court overturned that decision and transferred the case the Supreme Court.

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