Over 800 Sex Abuse Lawsuits Filed Against New Jersey Catholic Priests During 2-Year Window

At least 820 sex abuse lawsuits have been filed against New Jersey’s Catholic dioceses and religious orders in the past two years — including some 180 in the past month alone, according to an analysis by news outlet NorthJersey.com.

About 250 of the lawsuits, representing 30% of the total, involved priests, with religious sisters and lay church employees also named as abusers, the analysis showed.

The flood of civil complaints came during a two-year period New Jersey provided under the 2019 Child Victims Act to allow victims who otherwise would have been barred by the state’s statute of limitation to file lawsuits. The two-year “lookback” window closed on Nov. 30.

More than 1,200 lawsuits were filed in all. About two-thirds of these were filed against Catholic dioceses and religious orders.

Continue reading at Catholic News Agency

 

TAKE ACTION: Let these bishops know how you feel about this news.

NameDiocesePhone Number
Bishop Dennis SullivanBishop of Camden856.756.7900
Bishop James ChecchioBishop of Metuchen732.562.1990
Cardinal Joseph TobinArchbishop of Newark973.497.4000
Bishop Kevin SweeneyBishop of Paterson973.777.8818
Bishop David O'ConnellBishop of Trenton609.406.7400
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