New Jersey Sex Abuse Lawyers
Have You or Family Member Suffered Sexual Abuse?
If you or a loved one has been the victim of sexual abuse, then you may be entitled to financial damages by holding the wrongdoers and the institutions that protected them responsible in court. Most victims of sexual abuse are initially scared to come forward mainly because they are worried about retribution from the abuser. Oftentimes, sexual abuse victims never talk about the abuse as they might feel ashamed or even somehow blame for the abuse.
On behalf of Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq, it is our responsibility to advise our clients of some new developments in the law that may impact their legal rights.
There is a large number of sexual abuse victims that believe that because the abuse happened so long ago, they no longer have any legal recourse. For a very long time, this was the case in New Jersey. Victims of abuse had little or no access to the civil justice system and their voices went unheard. All this changed on May 19, 2019, when Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law an extension of time limits that do allow victims of sexual abuse to sue their attackers and the institutions that shielded and protected them for money damages.
The new law, went into effect on December 1, 2019, which allows victims:
- A two-year time frame from enactment for the filing of any civil case alleging adult or minor sexual abuse that occurred in the past.
- Those who were sexually abused in the past as minors who miss the two-year filing window will be able to bring their cause of action until the age of 55; and
- Those 55 and older who allege delays in connecting past abuse to damages will have an opportunity to seek justice through the courts, within seven years from the date they made that connection.
Who Can Be Held Responsible for Child Sexual Abuse?
In cases where allegations of abuse are made, typically the defendants are the institutions that allowed the abuse to continue, undetected, without intervention or warning the victims of the abuser’s propensities.
New Jersey Catholic Archdioceses Independent Victim Compensation Program
All five New Jersey Catholic Diocese (Newark, Trenton, Camden, Patterson, and Metuchen) have created a statewide program for victims to receive compensation if they were abused as children.
Free Sexual Abuse Civil Lawsuit Consultation
Please remember that there are time limitations to filing a claim. You must act as quickly as possible. To contact us for a free case evaluation, you can call us at (800) 923-3456. Your request will be immediately reviewed by one of our attorneys handling sexual abuse civil lawsuit cases.