Gov. Hugh Carey has signed into law a bill making parents or legal guardians civilly liable for payments up to $5,000 for vandalism of a house of worship by a child over 10 years and under 18 years. There has been a rash of such attacks on synagogues and Jewish schools in New York State in recent months.
The new law, an amendment to the State’s General Obligations Law, specifies liability when a child “knowingly, willfully and without authority, breaks, defaces, defiles or otherwise damages a house of religious worship or any religious articles or property used in connection with religious worship or instruction by a religious corporation.”
ELEMENTS OF THE NEW LAW
In signing the bill, Carey pointed out that the General Obligations Law makes parents or legal guardians civilly responsibly for such acts by their children up to a maximum of $1,000. That law provides also for liability of parents or legal guardians without limit when their children are involved in damage or destruction of cemetery plots.
The amendment also provides that when verdicts of more than $4,000 are imposed, the parents or legal guardians may apply for a review of their financial ability to pay such penalities but that in no case may a modification be less than $1,000.
In signing the bill, Carey said “destruction and vandalism of houses of worship and religious property which are malicious acts must be deterred. “He called the new law” an effort to provide such deterrence.”
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