The New Jersey Supreme Court will hear a case on Monday regarding a Catholic diocese’s efforts to block the state’s investigation into clergy sexual abuse allegations.
The Diocese of Camden argues that New Jersey’s law does not permit a grand jury to probe potential abuse by private church officials. This legal battle began after a 2018 grand jury report in Pennsylvania revealed over 1,000 cases of child abuse dating back to the 1940s, prompting New Jersey to form a task force to investigate similar allegations. The task force intended to empanel its own grand jury, but the Camden diocese filed a lawsuit in 2021, challenging the legality of such an investigation. The diocese contends that grand jury inquiries are reserved for government and public officials.
The legal proceedings have been largely kept private until recently, when the state Supreme Court unsealed documents from the case, shedding light on the ongoing investigation. The diocese claims that abuse was “effectively eradicated” within the church and points to a 2002 memorandum of understanding, requiring church officials to report abuse and share relevant information with authorities.
Despite these claims, the 2018 Pennsylvania report led to reforms in New Jersey’s statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse cases. In 2019, the state overhauled its law, allowing victims to file lawsuits until they turn 55 or up to seven years after realizing the abuse caused harm.
New Jersey’s dioceses have listed over 180 priests accused of abuse since the reforms, many of whom are deceased or removed from ministry. The Camden diocese, amidst numerous lawsuits, filed for bankruptcy and in 2022 settled for $87.5 million in one of the largest clergy abuse settlements in U.S. history.
