A woman who says she was sexually abused in foster care decades ago is advocating for the same legislation that would give clergy sex abuse victims a two-year window to file civil lawsuits.
That legislation has been tied up in Harrisburg for years now.
But there is renewed hope after it passed the House in June.
Chief Investigator Rick Earle discovered it’s not just having an impact on victims of clergy sex abuse.
Earle found out it’s also impacting victims of other sex abuse cases where the statute of limitations had expired, including a disturbing case we first told you about four years ago.
Earle: This was a system that was supposed to protect you?
Carlina Freeman: Supposed to.
It’s been more than three decades since Carlina Freeman says she was sexually abused by her foster father, and gave birth to a child.
Freeman: Just knowing that the people that put me in a place for people to love and take care for me. You didn’t do it. You let them, you just let them go.
Earle: The system failed you?
Freeman: The system let me go.
11 Investigates first learned about the shocking allegations four years ago when we interviewed Freeman about the unsolved murder of her sister.
After hearing her heartbreaking story, Earle reached out to Allegheny County police and they launched an investigation.
They eventually charged Freeman’s foster father, Carl Gilbert, with rape.
They also accused Gilbert’s wife at the time of sexual abuse.
Gilbert was now living in Maine.
His ex-wife was in Ohio.
They were arrested and booked into the Allegheny County jail.
But Judge Bruce Beemer ruled the statute of limitations had expired and dismissed the charges.
Beemer, in his ruling, weighed in on the case, calling it an “appalling lack of oversight by the very agencies in charge of protecting against abuse.”
Freeman said she initially lied about her pregnancy, but later told her Allegheny County caseworker.
She said nothing was ever done about it.
Even after a court-ordered DNA test several years later confirmed Gilbert was the father, he never faced any charges.
CYF, over the years, has declined to comment on this case, and to this day, it’s unclear why the agency and the courts did nothing.
Earle: You believe CYF (Office of Children, Youth and Families) failed you and should be held accountable?
Freeman: They failed. Yes, they failed me and they should be held accountable.
Freeman is now hoping the same legislation that would give victims of clergy sex abuse a two-year window to file civil lawsuits will ultimately pave the way for her to file a lawsuit against Allegheny County.
“The processes and procedures failed Carlina. I have never represented anyone as brave as Carlina, and for her to come forward and make sure a voice is heard, and for not just herself, a private matter, but for the masses, says a lot about her character,” said Phil DiLucente, Freeman’s attorney.
DiLucente is urging lawmakers to take action.
Legislation that would call for a constitutional amendment that would allow voters to decide passed the House, but the Republican-controlled Senate has said they won’t bring it to a vote, unless it’s tied to voter identification, a move Democrats oppose.
DiLucente is urging lawmakers to put aside their differences for the sake of victims.
“What I’m asking is the same courage that she’s showing, I’m asking our politicians that we vote you into office, to be as brave as Carlina Freeman,” said DiLucente.
“I just need somebody to listen. I just need somebody to listen because I never know when my last day’s going to come,” said Freeman.
Earle reached out to the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, which oversees CYF, again today and the agency sent this response:
“Thanks for reaching out. Due to confidentiality laws, we cannot discuss or confirm details of any specific child welfare case.”
After Earle broke this story four years ago, another foster child came forward and accused Carl Gilbert of sexual abuse in Cleveland.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Target 11: Allegheny Co. rape investigation sparks similar one in Cleveland
Gilbert was charged in that case, but died before going to trial.
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