New Jersey residents - Can you help Jehovah Witness victims of Child Sex Abuse and Non Jehovah Witness victims in your state ?
by Sol Reform 15 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
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Sol Reform
Bill to expand statute of limitations on sex abuse lawsuits stalls in N.J. Senate
By Matt Friedman/Statehouse Bureau on October 25, 2012 at 5:07 PM, updated October 25, 2012 at 7:39 PM Email | Print
TRENTON - A bill to greatly expand the statute of limitations for sex abuse lawsuits remained in legislative limbo today after it stalled for a second time on the Senate floor.
The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex), pressed his colleagues until the last minute, but to no avail, in an effort to get the 21 votes needed for passage.
The measure (S1651) would have sharply expanded the statute of limitations from two years to 30 years for suing alleged perpetrators, institutions and their officials ruled culpable for the abuse.
A previous version of the bill, which sought to remove the statute of limitations altogether, began moving through the Legislature in December 2010 but never made it to the floor of the Senate or Assembly after facing stiff opposition from Catholic clergy.
The bill almost made it through in August, but stalled at the last minute.
Mark Crawford, New Jersey director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, who was in the Senate chamber today, said he was disappointed but not surprised.
"We've seen this before," Crawford said. "The church is very influential. Our legislators have a choice. They're going to choose to protect the children of New Jersey or they're going to choose to protect the predators and the institution that have harbored them ... I think many of them just need to be educated more and understand."
The state does not have a statute of limitations for criminal sexual abuse cases. But in civil cases, adults who were victimized have two years from the time they realize the abuse damaged them to file suit. Under the current measure, victims would have 30 years after turning 18. Future adult victims would have 30 years from the time they realized the abuse harmed them.
In cases where the statute of limitations has already expired, adults would have a two-year window to file suit, and after that those who realized they were harmed by abuse that occurred before the bill went into effect would have 10 years to act.
The bill's prospects are equally uncertain in the Assembly.
Although an earlier version of the measure was approved by the Assembly Judiciary Committee, Majority Leader Lou Greenwald (D-Camden) introduced a competing bill that is less strict.
While Gov. Chris Christie has not stated his posititon publicly, an account of a meeting with members of the clergy at the governor's mansion paraphrased him as saying the "limitations are there for good reason in gathering evidence and documents."http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/10/bill_to_expand_statute_of_limi.html
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Sol Reform
http://sol-reform.com/News/action-alert-in-new-jersey/
NJ Action Alert: Hearing in Camden on Wed. 28 Oct 2013/in New Jersey /by SOL Reform
Dear SNAP members and supporters:This week a significant hearing is taking place over in Camden, NJ.
The issue is whether a victim who repressed his memory should be permitted to bring a case now that he recovered the memory of the childhood sexual abuse he endured.
Church officials want the case dismissed and claim he waited too long.
They do not want the court to determine whether the accuser was abused or whether he suffers from that abuse.
The church officials merely want the case dismissed.
The ruling on this case could have significance for other survivors in NJ.
It also shows some of the depths of legal hardball church officials employAnyone who is able to attend is urged to do so.
The brave victim needs our moral support in the court room amidst the hardball tactics of the defense team.
When: 9:30 am Oct 30 (and likely Oct 31) Where: Camden Courthouse Court Room 4a 101 S 5th Street #670 Camden, NJ 08103 We hope to see you there!
Please contact Barbara Blaine with questions or RSVP Barbara Blaine 312-399-4747 Barbara Blaine http://www.snapnetwork.org/
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Sol Reform
http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2013/11/extend_statute_of_limitations.html
Extend statute of limitations for child victims of sex abuse:
Editorial Print By Star-Ledger Editorial Board on November 05, 2013 at 6:23 AM
Children walk past the St. John Vianney Residence for Retired Priests in Rutherford.
The Archdiocese of Newark has quietly placed alleged sexual predators there without informing neighbors. The residence is down the street from an elementary school and a high school. Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger The Catholic Church has a troubling track record of tucking its problems out of sight.
It’s common for priests accused of molesting children to be shuffled to new parishes, allowing church leaders to ignore them. The latest example:
The Star-Ledger’s Mark Mueller reported Sunday that a number of priests — including some stripped of robes and collars after the church found accusations of abuse to be credible — were sent to a retirement home in Rutherford, right next to two Catholic schools. That follows other reports of accused priests who chaperoned youth retreats or taught in parish schools, each under the supposed supervision of church hierarchy.
Those are the acts of an organization and leadership that believe they are immune from consequences. Were it not for expired statutes of limitations — which often ran out before young victims could report their abusers to authorities or even understand the full consequences of those attacks — many of these men might have faced prison, not retirement. That escape hatch closed in 1996, when New Jersey eliminated the time limit for criminal charges.
In New Jersey, sex abuse victims have just two years to sue after linking abuse to other problems, such as depression or divorce. That’s not enough.
What about holding the church accountable for allowing abuse? A statute of limitations has blocked that, too. In New Jersey, sex abuse victims have just two years to sue after linking abuse to other problems, such as depression, addiction or divorce. That’s not enough. Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) has proposed a bill to extend that to 30 years. How do we know it would make a difference? Because the church has fought so hard to kill it, with powerful lobbyists and competing legislation. When the new legislative session begins in January, Vitale’s bill should be a priority.
Victims of childhood sex abuse require greater care and time — time to remember the crime and decide to act. Their ability to sue is about justice, not money. For most, lawsuits may be their only remedy against not only their abuser, but also the organization that enabled the abuse. The right to sue should be expanded, not constrained. Priest sex-abuse scandals have already cost the Catholic church $2.5 billion nationwide.
With an already tiny window for lawsuits, the church has a financial stake in staying silent as long as possible. The clock shouldn’t be allowed to run out so quickly.
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Sol Reform
It includes institutions, such as churches, and since it simply eliminates the SOL both back and forward…no window necessary. It does allow cases which were set aside due to an expired SOL to be reopened, so that portion does contain a 2 year window. This is a very strong bill, one of the best if passed as it is written it would be best in the country for victims.