In 2019, the Catholic Church in New Jersey established a compensation fund for survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of members of the clergy. The deadline for compensation from this fund has passed, but there are other funds like this one being established across the country. Moreover, those who have suffered abused by a pedophile priest, deacon, or lay leader may be able to file a lawsuit—not only against the abuser, but also the religious organization they belong to that may have allowed the abuse to occur.

Why Was the New Jersey Compensation Fund Established?

The New Jersey Compensation Fund for Victims of Church Sexual Abuse of Minors came in the wake of shocking revelations that have come to light in recent years – not only in the U.S., but in countries around the world.

In August 2018, a Pennsylvania grand jury released a report following a two-year long investigation that discovered credible allegations of sexual abuse by more than 300 members of the clergy across the Keystone State. Less than three months later, the Roman Catholic Church in New Jersey announced that it would release the names of all priests and lay leaders who have been credibly accused of perpetrating acts of child abuse. That list was released in February.

It was also announced that the Garden State’s five dioceses (Newark, Camden, Paterson, Metuchen and Trenton) would be establishing a fund for compensating survivors as well as a counseling program. This fund is in addition to approximately $50 million that has already been paid to sexual abuse survivors by the Catholic Church in New Jersey, paid primarily by insurance companies and self-funded reserves.

How Much Will Survivors Receive From the Catholic Church in New Jersey?

The New Jersey Compensation Fund began accepting claims in July 2019, and was funded by the Roman Catholic Church in New Jersey. The exact amount paid out to each survivor from the compensation fund is unknown, but by January 2020, the program had resolved 69 cases and had authorized payment for more than $11 million, according to CBS Philly.

A similar program set up by the Archdiocese of New York paid up to $500,000 for a single claim.

What Else Should Survivors in New Jersey Know?

Once the fund opened in July 2019, sex abuse survivors had until Dec. 31, 2019 to file a claim, after which no further applications were accepted. While the Catholic Church in New Jersey was not responsible for determining who is eligible, the individual dioceses did determine the amount of each claim.

The New Jersey Compensation Fund for Victims of Church Sexual Abuse of Minors was a voluntary program and according to its administrator, Camille Biros, was funded using “existing resources, loans, maybe sale of property.”

As part of accepting a settlement offer made by the church, the survivor has to agree not to pursue legal action against the church.

Not every survivor has to or will choose to go through the compensation fund. Some who choose litigation instead will want to pursue the matter on their own and not be boxed into whatever offer is made by the fund.

For other survivors, however, going through litigation individually could be an intimidating process. This raises concerns about whether or not a fund created by the same organization that allegedly carried out decades of abuse can be trusted.

Notably, the Diocese of Camden ended up filing for bankruptcy in October 2020, after borrowing millions of dollars to make out-of-court settlement, being slammed by dozens of lawsuits sparked by updated New Jersey sex abuse laws, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Filing a New Jersey Catholic Sex Abuse Lawsuit

Survivors should always consider all routes available to them before making a decision about trying to recover compensation from a fund like this one. In other states, there may be funds still open or opening up in the future. For survivors in many states, including in New Jersey, there is still time to pursue litigation. States all across the country have recently updated their child sexual abuse laws to better allow survivors to file lawsuits.

New Jersey introduced new sexual abuse laws that allows victims of childhood sexual abuse more time to pursue litigation, including a two-year look back window that temporarily lifts the statute of limitations to allow for victims of abuse within the Catholic Church in New Jersey to pursue litigation regardless of how long ago that abuse took place. The last day to file litigation under the New Jersey look back window is Nov. 30, 2021.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.