TRENTON (NJ)
News Record - NJToday [Elizabeth NJ]
April 28, 2025
The New Jersey Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in a case that could determine whether state prosecutors can convene a grand jury to investigate allegations of clergy sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.
During the hour-long session, several justices expressed skepticism toward arguments made by attorneys for the Diocese of Camden, who contend such an investigation would exceed legal authority.
The legal dispute stems from a 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report that documented widespread abuse of minors by clergy over decades.
Following that report, then-New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal launched a similar investigation and established a clergy abuse hotline that received 550 calls alleging abuse dating back to the 1940s.
However, the New Jersey inquiry stalled when lower courts ruled in favor of the diocese, finding that grand juries cannot investigate private conduct.
Justice Anne Patterson questioned whether the diocese’s challenge was premature, noting no grand jury had yet been seated or issued findings.
“We don’t know what a grand jury would say, am I right?” Patterson asked.
Diocese attorney Lloyd Levenson responded that the state’s intentions were clear, stating “you’d have to be Rip Van Winkle” not to understand the investigation’s purpose.
The diocese maintains that a 2002 memorandum of understanding with state prosecutors already requires church officials to report abuse allegations to authorities.
They argue additional investigation would serve only to publicly condemn the church, noting that abuse victims can pursue civil claims and prosecutors can bring criminal charges without a grand jury presentment.
Advocates for abuse survivors attended the hearing, with Mark Crawford of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests calling the diocese’s position “grasping at straws.”
State Senator Joe Vitale, who championed New Jersey’s 2019 law extending the civil statute of limitations for abuse claims, also observed the proceedings.
The case comes as the Diocese of Camden and others nationwide face financial pressures from abuse claims.
In 2022, the Camden diocese agreed to an $87.5 million settlement with approximately 300 accusers – one of the largest such settlements in U.S. history.
The diocese filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020 as abuse lawsuits mounted following the statute of limitations reform.
The court provided no timeline for its decision, which could clarify the scope of grand jury authority in New Jersey and determine whether the state’s clergy abuse investigation moves forward.
Court documents unsealed earlier this year revealed the existence of the legal challenge but contained no specific abuse allegations.
This all happened as American survivors of clergy sex abuse are issuing a clear warning as cardinals prepare to gather in Rome to elect the next pope: Don’t repeat the past.