Sexual Abuse by Clergy

New Jersey Amended Child Sexual Abuse Law Effective December 1, 2019 On December 1, 2019, New Jersey began its 2-year look-back period giving victims of sexual abuse time to file lawsuits. NJ.com reporter Joe Atmonovage wrote that a law firm in NJ filed 40 lawsuits at 12:01 am, containing allegations of sexual abuse against the…

New Jersey Gives Time for Victims of Sexual Abuse to File Lawsuits Against Their Abusers New Jersey has become the 11th state in the country to pass legislation that gives survivors of sexual abuse more time to take their abusers to court. NorthJersey.com reported that New Jersey Senator Joseph Vitale, “a primary sponsor of the…

Investigation Results in Criminal Conviction of Priest Accused of Sexual Assault The Detroit News reported on October 8, 2019, that a Michigan priest pleaded guilty to aggravated assault following a probe into clergy sexual abuse by the State’s Attorney General Dana Nessel. The inquiry resulted in several priests being arrested and charged with crimes. Reverend…

New Jersey Likely to See an Increase in Boy Scout Sexual Abuse Litigation On October 13, 2019, NJ.com reported that the New Jersey court system might soon see a significant increase in the number of victims filing lawsuits against the Boy Scouts of America. Why? Because New Jersey’s new law gives all victims of sexual…

Rhode Island Litigation Will Test New Statute of Limitations New York has the Child Victims Act, a law which amended the statute of limitations to provide additional time for victims of sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits and criminal charges. The law also has a one year “look back” period. Victims of sexual abuse who…

Laws across the country enable victims of sexual abuse to come forward, years after the abuse occurred. The Catholic diocese of California has established a claimants fund. The California Independent Compensation Program has been established to help to compensate victims of sexual abuse in the Dioceses of Fresno, Orange, Sacramento, San Diego and San Bernardino,…

The New York Child Victims Act, heralded for creating an opportunity for the victims of child sex abuse to bring actions against their assailants, goes into effect August 14, 2019. Many of the victims of child sex abuse in New York and across the nation have suffered in silence for decades. In years past, little…

As reported by CBS News, New York State has instituted a law allowing victims of childhood sex abuse to bring lawsuits against the perpetrators. Many of these victims suffered 30, 40 and even 50 years ago. At the time, little was done to protect children and predators were allowed to escape justice. This law, the…

Catholic Priests Keep Jobs Despite Accusations of Sexual Abuse of Minors According to a lawsuit filed July 15, 2019, two Catholic priests who were accused of sexually assaulting children, were allowed to remain on active duty in their churches. The lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court claims that the archdiocese was made aware of the…

Providence Catholic Diocese is The Latest to Release List Clergy Members Accused of Sexually Abusing Children On July 1, 2019, USA Today reported that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island released a list of “clerics, religious order priests, and deacons who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing children.” The list, compiled after…