UPDATE:  On December 1, 2019, the New Jersey Sexual Abuse Survivor Law went into effect. This law opens up a two-year window for sexual abuse survivors to file lawsuits, regardless of when the abuse took place. Read more here!

In New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy has signed a law that extends the length of time that victims of childhood sexual abuse may file lawsuits against their abusers. The law takes effect on December 1 and will affect Catholic diocese New Jersey child sex abuse claims. 

Under the new law, victims of childhood sexual abuse will be able to sue their abusers until they turn 55. Additionally, the new law allows people to file a lawsuit within a seven-year window of realizing that childhood sexual abuse did them harm, says that Northern Valley Press.  

The new law also allows victims who were previously barred from filing a lawsuit due to the previous, more restrictive statute of limitation an additional two years to file a lawsuit against their abusers.

Previously, New Jersey law had only allowed sexual abuse victims a two-year window in which to file a lawsuit against their accuser, and the victim had to be under age 20 to file such a lawsuit.

New Jersey is reportedly the 11th state to pass a law that extends the amount of time that a victim has to file a sexual misconduct lawsuit against their abusers.

The Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network provides a state-by-state guide to statutes of limitations and notes that New Jersey has a statute of limitations for some felony sex crimes, but not others.  

This change to New Jersey law comes on the heels of other sexual abuse allegations news. Like in many other states, Catholic dioceses New Jersey sex abuse claims have been recognized as a potentially widespread problem.

The Northern Valley Press says that recently, a group of attorneys released a report on the problem of Catholic Church sex abuse. According to that report, 311 New Jersey priests, nuns, and other clergy members have been accused of sexual misconduct.

Reportedly, some of these names have already been known, but some came to light for the first time in this report. The information in the report revealed cases of alleged sexual base dating back as far as the 1950s.

The Northern Valley Press says that the law change had been in the works for 15 years, but “received new momentum” after the release of a Pennsylvania grand jury report into the problem of Catholic Church sex abuse in Pennsylvania. Though the grand jury report was only concerned with Catholic Church sex abuse in Pennsylvania, the problem reportedly exists around the country, spurring legal change.

Victims’ advocates have expressed support of the new law. A representative of the New Jersey chapter of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests said, “the new law will be one of the best in the nation, granting all sexual abuse survivors the opportunity to access the justice system,” according to the Northern Valley Press.

North Jersey notes that victims advocates supported the law change through its many years of development, but the Catholic Church dioceses New Jersey have opposed it. The Catholic Church reportedly worried that the law would allow for lawsuits to come forward that were based on insufficient evidence. North Jersey goes on to say that the Catholic Church’s objection to the law was at least in part based on concerns that the law change and subsequent lawsuits would cause the Church financial difficulty. 

Now, the dioceses New Jersey may face more sexual abuse complaints and lawsuits as victims have more opportunities to file claims.

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