Childhood Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church in New Jersey

Sadly, sexual abuse of minors has plagued the Roman Catholic clergy worldwide and in the United States for decades. Thousands of Catholic priests have been linked to the sexual abuse of thousands of victims over those years. In 2004, the John Jay College of Criminal Justice issued a report finding that from the period of 1950 to 2002, over 10,500 victims were sexually abused by over 4,000 priests; this may even be a conservative estimate of the problem. The report was commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and was based on surveys of dioceses in the United States. Dioceses are entities within the Roman Catholic Church that consist of several churches within a specific geographical region, supervised by a bishop.

The reasons why a disproportionate amount of pedophiles were among the ranks of clergy is complex. Various dioceses were successful in covering up the abuse that had been known by church officials for years. In 2003, a group known as Bishopaccountibility.org created a database of publicly accused members of the Roman Catholic Clergy. The database has continued to be updated to the present day.

As the sexual abuse became more public in the 2000s, the Catholic Church adopted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which established policies and procedures to better protect children and manage allegations of sexual abuse by priests. While allegations of sexual abuse that occurred after 2010 have reduced significantly, the number of victims who have come forward with their accounts of abuse from the 1960s to the 1990s were abused in the decades has grown into the thousands throughout the country. Various dioceses throughout the country have paid billions of dollars in financial settlements to victims since the 1990s. Civil litigation against the Catholic Church seeking financial recoveries for victims of abuse has continued to grow as states pass laws that reform the statute of limitations for survivors.

Childhood sexual abuse within the Catholic Church has been a deeply troubling and widespread issue that has come to light over the past few decades. Thousands of survivors worldwide have bravely come forward with allegations of abuse by priests, clergy members, and other church officials. These cases have revealed a pattern of abuse and cover-up by the Church hierarchy, leading to widespread outrage and calls for accountability.

RAM Law specializes in representing survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, providing them with compassionate legal representation to seek justice and compensation for the harm they have endured. We dedicated to fighting for the rights of survivors and holding the Church accountable for its role in these devastating cases.

Catholic Diocese Litigation in New Jersey

In 2019, New Jersey passed the Child Victims Act which reformed the statute of limitations and made it easier for survivors of child sexual abuse to come forward and hold entities responsible for their role in the abuse. Prior to the law’s passage, the timetable for victims to file lawsuits was vastly limited.

The five dioceses within New Jersey are facing over a thousand lawsuits involving allegations of child sex abuse by members of the clergy from the 1960s to the 2000s. RAM Law specializes in litigating against these dioceses, including:

• Archdiocese of Newark
• Diocese of Metuchen
• Diocese of Paterson
• Diocese of Camden
• Diocese of Trenton

These allegations involve cases of childhood sexual abuse perpetrated by priests, nuns, teachers, clergy members, and other church officials. RAM Law is dedicated to providing survivors of abuse with compassionate legal representation and fighting for justice on their behalf. We understand the complexities of these cases and work tirelessly to hold the Church accountable for its role in these devastating acts.

Lawyers for Child Abuse Victims in New Jersey

If you or someone you know has been impacted by childhood sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, our legal team is dedicated to providing compassionate support, legal guidance, and a path toward healing. Contact us today for a free, confidential consultation.