WOODBRIDGE (NJ)
New Jersey Advance Media
August 7, 2019
By Kelly Heyboer
Thirty people who say they were sexually abused as children by 28 New Jersey priests are among those applying for financial settlements through a new compensation fund backed by the state’s five Catholic dioceses.
The list of 28 priests includes 12 who have never before been named as alleged abusers, said Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston attorney representing the alleged victims.
“It’s an honor to represent victims of clergy sexual abuse. They show an enormous amount of courage coming forward,” Garabedian said at a press conference in West Orange. “I tell each and every victim, if it helps you to heal enter into the settlement program.”
The fund — called the New Jersey Independent Victim Compensation Program — was unveiled earlier this year by the state’s Catholic dioceses as a way for victims of clergy abuse to settle their cases with the church privately, without going to court.
It began accepting its first applications June 15. Fund administrators said they received 44 claims in the first month and made three settlement offers. More offers were expected as the fund administrators continued reviewing cases.
New Jersey recently changed its law to allow more sexual abuse victims to file civil lawsuits against their alleged abusers and institutions, including the Catholic Church, starting on Dec. 1. The New Jersey compensation fund is expected to help head off some of those lawsuits by allowing alleged victims to ask for private settlements with the church.
Under the fund’s rules, victims file claims that are reviewed by independent fund administrators. If their claims are found credible, the administrators make the victim a settlement offer. If the victim agrees to take the cash, he or she signs documents promising to never sue the Catholic Church in the future.
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