Victims of clergy abuse in New Jersey can look forward the prospect of compensation for their suffering at the hands of Roman Catholic clergy thanks to the imminent opening of a victims’ compensation fund.
New Jersey Clergy Abuse Victims’ Fund Guidelines
Yesterday, administrators of the fund announced that the fund will soon be open to applications from victims who were abused in all five of the state’s Roman Catholic dioceses. Guidelines for application will be posted next week. A public comment period will follow.
In addition to the fund, all five New Jersey dioceses will be asked to submit their lists of known or alleged victims of abuse. This list will presumably be examined alongside claim applications by victims.
For those who are considering applying, one must bear in mind that anyone compensated by the fund will forfeit their right to sue the diocese in court.
New York and Pennsylvania Victims’ Compensation Funds
In addition to the victims fund, the New Jersey attorney general’s office declared it has launched a criminal investigation into clergy sexual abuse. A similar program in New York has compensated over one thousand victims more than $200 million. In Pennsylvania, most but not all of the Roman Catholic dioceses are in the process of forming victims’ funds.
It was this summer in Pennsylvania that the scandal over clergy sexual abuse first hit headlines. Since then, state after state, diocese after diocese, have announced investigations into Roman Catholic clergy abuse.
