Latest news with #NewJerseyChildVictimsAct
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Yahoo
New Initiative: Legal Advocacy for Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors in NJ
Mount Laurel Township, June 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mount Laurel Township, New Jersey - Trenton, NJ – Survivors of Abuse NJ, a sexual abuse law firm committed to representing victims, is launching a new initiative focused on providing specialized legal advocacy for survivors of clergy sexual abuse across New Jersey. Led by Managing Attorney Joseph L. Messa, Esq., this initiative aims to hold religious institutions accountable for failing to protect victims while ensuring survivors receive the legal support and justice they deserve. Religious institutions have long held positions of trust and authority in communities, yet numerous survivors of clergy sexual abuse have come forward, exposing decades of systemic cover-ups and negligence. Many survivors have suffered lifelong trauma, mental health struggles, and emotional distress, often remaining silent due to fear of retaliation, religious pressure, or lack of legal awareness. With this new initiative, Survivors of Abuse NJ is expanding its legal services and resources to help victims take action against abusive clergy members and the institutions that enabled them. Clergy sexual abuse cases often involve priests, pastors, deacons, and other religious leaders who exploit their positions of authority to prey on vulnerable individuals, including children, adolescents, and even adult parishioners. In many cases, churches and religious organizations fail to act, protect abusers, or attempt to conceal allegations rather than hold perpetrators accountable. Survivors of Abuse NJ is prepared to handle cases involving sexual abuse and misconduct by clergy members, institutional cover-ups and failure to remove known abusers, religious leaders abusing their power over vulnerable individuals, abuse occurring in Catholic churches, Protestant denominations, synagogues, and other religious institutions, as well as negligent hiring, supervision, or retention of clergy members with histories of abuse. Joseph L. Messa, Esq., who has built a reputation as a leading advocate for survivors of institutional sexual abuse, emphasized the importance of this initiative in helping survivors find their voice and reclaim their power. "For far too long, religious institutions have turned a blind eye to sexual abuse within their ranks," said Messa. "Many survivors live in silence and fear, unsure of their legal rights or whether they can take action against powerful religious organizations. Through this initiative, we are providing specialized legal representation to ensure survivors get the justice and accountability they deserve." New Jersey has some of the strongest survivor-friendly laws in the country, offering expanded statutes of limitations for survivors of clergy sexual abuse. Under the New Jersey Child Victims Act, survivors can file lawsuits against abusers and institutions until the age of 55 or within seven years of recognizing the impact of their abuse. This law ensures that even those abused decades ago can still pursue justice. By taking legal action, survivors of clergy sexual abuse may be able to hold religious institutions accountable for covering up abuse, seek financial compensation for emotional and psychological trauma, expose clergy members and prevent future cases of abuse, and obtain justice that was long denied to them. Many survivors of clergy sexual abuse feel intimidated by the power and influence of religious organizations, making legal action seem overwhelming. Survivors of Abuse NJ ensures that every survivor is heard, protected, and supported throughout the legal process. This initiative is open to survivors of clergy sexual abuse, regardless of when it occurred, families of survivors who need legal guidance, advocacy groups supporting survivors of religious abuse, and anyone seeking information about legal rights and accountability. Survivors of Abuse NJ encourages survivors to reach out for a confidential consultation to discuss their case and learn about their legal rights. With this new initiative, the firm aims to provide compassionate, aggressive legal representation to bring justice to those who suffered in silence. "If you or a loved one has been abused by a clergy member, know that you are not alone," said Messa. "There is legal recourse, and you have the right to seek justice. No institution is above the law, and we are here to fight for survivors." For more information on this specialized legal advocacy initiative, visit their website or call (848) 290-7929 for a private consultation. Survivors of Abuse NJ remains committed to holding religious institutions accountable and helping survivors reclaim their power. ### For more information about Joseph L. Messa, Esq. - The Abuse Lawyer NJ, contact the company here:Joseph L. Messa, Esq. - The Abuse Lawyer NJJoseph L. Messa, Esq.(848) 290-7929joe@ Academy Dr., Suite 200 Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 CONTACT: Joseph L. Messa, in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Yahoo
Jurisdiction saves Philly archdiocese from culpability for priest's alleged sex abuse in New Jersey
A claim against the Philly archdiocese for its priest's alleged sexual abuse can't proceed because of jurisdictional issues, New Jersey's top court says. (Photo by William) In a blow for clergy sex abuse victims, the New Jersey State Supreme Court has ruled that a Catholic archdiocese's accountability for an alleged predatory priest does not cross state lines. The decision arose from the case of an Illinois man who accused Michael J. McCarthy, a priest in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1965 until he was defrocked in 2006, of molesting him during an overnight stay in Margate in 1971, when he was 14 and a member of McCarthy's parish. The man, identified only as D.T. in court paperwork, sued the archdiocese in May 2020 in New Jersey, one year after state legislators here enacted the New Jersey Child Victims Act. That law created a two-year window, from 2019 to 2021, to allow people to revive previously time-barred civil claims arising from childhood sexual abuse. Thereafter, under the law, victims can sue for childhood abuse before they turn 55 or within seven years of realizing the abuse caused them harm. Most states, including Pennsylvania, do not have such laws, leaving victims seeking justice for long-ago abuse with no legal recourse. But a New Jersey trial court twice dismissed D.T.'s claim, citing a lack of jurisdiction, and an appellate panel upheld the dismissals. On Tuesday, Justice Anne Patterson affirmed the lower courts' decisions. 'The conduct that D.T. alleges — a priest's exploitation of his clerical role to sexually abuse a minor — is reprehensible,' Patterson wrote for a unanimous court. 'The sole issue before the Court, however, is whether our courts may exercise personal jurisdiction over the Archdiocese in the setting of this case.' The short answer is no, Patterson wrote, because the alleged abuse occurred at a private home and McCarthy — not the archdiocese — got permission from D.T.'s widowed mother to take her son on the trip. McCarthy took the teen to Margate specifically so that he could have unsupervised access to him, without his superiors' knowledge, she added. 'There is no evidence that any Archdiocese representative was aware of McCarthy's impending trip, let alone that it assigned McCarthy to take D.T. to New Jersey,' Patterson wrote. 'There is no evidence that McCarthy conducted business on behalf of the Archdiocese in New Jersey, or that the trip entailed any religious or ecclesiastical activities.' McCarthy is one of 23 priests the archdiocese laicized because of credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors; another 42 had credible allegations too but are no longer living. Mark Crawford is the New Jersey director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. He spent 20 years pushing New Jersey legislators to pass the New Jersey Child Victims Act but hasn't been successful in similar advocacy in Pennsylvania. He called Tuesday's ruling 'tragic for victims of abuse.' He likened it to General Motors denying culpability for a defective car that leaves a New Jersey resident injured, solely because they're headquartered in Michigan. 'A priest doesn't stop acting as a priest because he has crossed a state line,' Crawford said. 'He is still working as a priest whether he is in a church, a library, a school, or a private home. He is always 'on the job.'' The Catholic Church's coverup of clergy sex abuse is well-known, he added. He cited the recent revelation that Diocese of Camden lawyers persuaded a judge in 2023 to keep secret a hearing in which they successfully petitioned to block a state investigation of clergy sex abuse. 'It's just deeply disappointing and makes me angry that our judicial system is protecting entities that knowingly allowed predators to cross state lines and commit crimes and then said, 'Wait a minute, we're not responsible,'' Crawford said. An attorney for D.T. did not respond to a request for comment. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
