Editing Democrat and Chronicle (section)

=== Sexual abuse scandal ===
{{More citations needed|section|date=January 2025}}
The ''Democrat and Chronicle'', along with its parent company [[Gannett]], was sued in October 2019 by a former paperboy who accused the newspaper of enabling a former district manager to sexually abuse him in the 1980s. In late 2018, this former paperboy emailed investigative reporters and Gannett management, asking them to investigate his claims. Karen Magnuson, then Executive Editor for Gannett's Democrat & Chronicle, told reporters to put their investigative reporting of abuse claims on "pause" and brought the email to the attention of Gannett's management to conduct their own investigation.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}} Gannett COO Michael G. Kane then sent the original claimant a letter indicating no evidence had been found and they were "closing out" the matter. Shortly after, New York passed its Child Victim Act, lifting the statute of limitations on child sex abuse claims.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-12-07|title=Former paperboys await justice after suing Gannett for allowing sexual abuse four decades ago|url=https://www.poynter.org/?p=977924|access-date=2022-01-03|website=Poynter|language=en-US}}</ref> This initial case is currently pending. Four more lawsuits were filed in early 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Andreatta|first=David|title=Four more paperboys sue the Democrat and Chronicle claiming sexual abuse|url=https://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/rochester/four-more-paperboys-sue-the-democrat-and-chronicle-claiming-sexual-abuse/Content?oid=11472140|access-date=2020-10-13|website=CITY News|language=en}}</ref> Additionally, three more men filed suit against Gannett for child sex abuse in September 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Two more former paperboys come forward to allege sexual abuse by supervisor: Lawsuit|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/paperboys-forward-allege-sexual-abuse-supervisor-lawsuit/story?id=73226121|access-date=2020-10-13|website=ABC News|language=en}}</ref> As the New York state window to file under its Childs Victim Act closed in August 2021, a ninth man sued<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/webcivil/captcha |access-date=2021-08-25 |website=iapps.courts.state.ny.us |title=Archived copy |archive-date=September 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903221814/https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/webcivil/captcha |url-status=dead }}</ref> the Democrat and Chronicle, and its publisher Gannett, in Rochester NY alleging child sex abuse by the same former district manager of paper carriers. In July 2022, Gannett defense attorneys notified the court of their intent to file a motion to have the former paperboy's Child Victims Act cases taken "out of the state court system and turn them over to the New York Workers' Compensation Board"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gannett's Legal Gambit |url=https://rochesterbeacon.com/2022/09/08/gannetts-legal-gambit/ |website=Rochester Beacon |author=Will Astor|date=8 September 2022}}</ref> stating that the 11-14-year-old paperboys should have applied for workman's compensation at the time of their injuries in the 1980s, or in 2019 upon enactment of the CVA as it is a simple online process.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=oKUHyrvdVbsaTWAtEJPBDA==}}</ref> All these cases are currently pending in New York State court.

Nearly three years after the first lawsuit filing, in July 2022, Gannett (the parent company and publisher of the Democrat & Chronicle) defense attorneys notified the court of their intent to file a motion to have the former paperboys' Child Victims Act cases taken "out of the state court system and turn them over to the New York Workers' Compensation Board" stating that the 11–14-year-old paperboys should have applied for workman's compensation at the time of their injuries in the 1980s or upon enactment of the CVA in 2019. In December 2022, presiding Judge, Deborah A. Chimes acquiesced to Gannett's demands that NY Workers Compensation Board – despite the existence of the Child Victims Act as NY State law – determine if Plaintiffs have a valid cause of action for damages or whether they are limited to benefits under the Worker’s Compensation Law. This despite the fact that the Workers Compensation Board has no mechanism to consider this question of justice and legal rights, as the Board is tasked by the state of New York solely to: [https://www.wcb.ny.gov/content/main/TheBoard/InfoAbout.jsp "administer workers’ compensation, disability benefits and Paid Family Leave."] On July 26, 2024, this demand of Gannett, received and accepted fully by Judge Deborah Chimes, [https://www.businessinsurance.com/Suit-alleging-child-sex-abuse-wrongly-sent-to-workers-comp-board/ was reversed], by the Fourth Judicial Department of the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court. The nine plaintiff cases remain pending action by Judge Chimes and her court.