Catholic Diocese of NJ agrees to $87.5 million settlement to settle clerical sex abuse lawsuits

TRENTON, NJ — A Catholic diocese in New Jersey has agreed to pay $87.5 million to settle claims related to clerical sexual abuse of about 300 alleged victims in one of its districts. Largest cash settlement involving the Catholic church in the United States.

The settlement between the Diocese of Camden, which includes six counties in southern New Jersey and suburban Philadelphia, and the plaintiffs, was filed with the United States Bankruptcy Court in Camden on Tuesday.

The settlement must still be conducted before a U.S. bankruptcy judge. If approved, the settlement would exceed the nearly $85 million settlement in 2003 in the Boston clerical abuse scandal, though it is less than in other settlements in California and Oregon.

“I would like to express my sincere apologies to all those who have been affected by sexual abuse in our Diocese,” Bishop Dennis Sullivan said in a statement. “My prayers go out to all survivors of the abuse and I pledge to continue to ensure that this terrible chapter in the history of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey never happens again. .”

Details of what allegedly happened to about 300 victims were not included in the proposed settlement, according to attorneys for about 70 victims.

“This settlement with the Bishop of Camden is a powerful step forward in accountability,” said Jeff Anderson, an attorney representing 74 of the approximately 300 survivors. “Praise goes to the survivors for standing up for themselves and the truth.”

Anderson says the alleged sexual abuse occurred from the 1950s to the 1990s, but mainly took place in the 1960s and 1970s.

The diocese said the agreement calls for the establishment of a trust fund, which will be funded over four years by the diocese and “relevant Catholic institutions” to compensate survivors of the abuse. sex. Part of the agreement also requires maintaining or “enhancing” protocols to protect children.

According to attorneys Jay Mascolo and Jason Amala, abuse survivors who filed for bankruptcy could receive $290,000.

The settlement comes more than two years after New Jersey extended its civil statute of limitations to allow victims of sexual abuse by priests to legally claim compensation. The law allows child victims to sue until they turn 55 or within seven years of when they first realized that the abuse had caused them harm. The previous statute of limitations was 20 years old, or two years after first realizing the abuse causing the damage.

The diocese, like others around the country, has filed for bankruptcy amid a flurry of lawsuits – up to 55, according to court records – stemming from the loosened statute of limitations.

In 2019, New Jersey is the year Listed Catholic dioceses More than 180 priests have been accused of sexually abusing minors over the course of several decades, joining more than two dozen other states that have named suspected abusers after a landmark grand jury report delegation in Pennsylvania in 2018.

Many of the priests on the list have passed away, and others have been removed from ministry.

at Blogtuan.info – Source: nbcnews.com – Read the original article here