The Supreme Court will consider whether abused children should be able to receive damages

There are hundreds of court cases where people sue their home municipalities for lack of supervision of their orphanages and foster families. Cases have ruled in the District Court and the Court of Appeal that the crimes are statute-barred because the events took place so long ago.

"If the Supreme Court concludes that the municipality's liability is not time-barred, it will have enormously positive consequences for our clients. There are many who have been harmed and who have not previously been able to pursue a case, says Monica Crusner from Crusner law firm, who for several years has worked with cases of children who have been raped and abused.

SVT Stockholm has previously reported on Susanne Hanqvist, who testified that she was placed in about 30 places during her childhood, and that she was subjected to violence.

Susanne is one of those who once also received a pardon payment from the state, which many were denied or missed out on. Now she has sued the City of Stockholm, which was the municipality that took her into custody and placed her.

"Want to prevent children from being harmed out there today"

Now, the Supreme Court has granted leave to appeal the statute of limitations regarding a case where a woman is pursuing a claim for damages against Nässjö municipality after injuries she suffered as a child and was taken into care between 1972 and 1974.

"Unfortunately, there are still many children today who are being abused," says lawyer Monica Crusner.

She believes that this is one of the motives behind people being able to take their own cases further despite the fact that so many years have passed since they themselves were affected.

"If, however, the outcome in the Supreme Court is that municipalities can claim limitation, then we will take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights and there are similar cases that have been successful. It is not until 2018 that there has been any legislation that has allowed you to pursue your case against municipalities that failed in supervision. Previously, there was no such possibility and then it is wrong to claim a statute of limitations before then, we believe.

SVT Nyheter Stockholm has previously reached out to the City of Stockholm, which declined to comment.