CAMDEN (NJ)
NJ Spotlight News - WNET [New York NY]
April 29, 2025
By Briana Vannozzi, Anchor
Catholic Camden Diocese continues fight in legal battle over abuse allegations
The New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments in the seven-year battle over allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. The court heard arguments from attorneys for the Catholic Diocese of Camden, which filed for bankruptcy in 2020, and the New Jersey attorney general’s office.
“The goal here is obviously to condemn the Catholic Church and priests and bishops,” said Lloyd Levenson, attorney for the diocese.
Both sides debated the laws concerning when and how a grand jury can be used and if it has the right to look into private entities like a church, or is limited to government officials or agencies.
“These victims want their story heard,” said Mark Crawford, state director of Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests. “They want to get in front of the grand jury and tell that story. They want some level of accountability and acknowledgement.”
The issue dates to 2019 when then-Attorney General Gurbir Grewal vowed to investigate clergy sexual abuse within all five of the state’s catholic dioceses. But the Camden diocese filed suit to stall the investigation. Lower court judges sided with the church and sealed the case, allowing the legal fight to continue in secrecy for six years.
“No person is above the law and no institution is immune from accountability,” Grewal said in 2018 after the formation of the criminal task force to investigate sexual abuse among members of the clergy. “We will devote whatever resources are necessary to uncover the truth and bring justice to victims.”
The current attorney general’s office appealed and on Monday argued appellate judges short-circuited the legal fight before it could even begin. Attorneys for the diocese maintain they aren’t trying to hide past offenses, but that private entities should be off limits. A final decision could be days or weeks away.
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