NEW JERSEY
ABC 6
By Nora Muchanic
December 12, 2005 - The first thing they wanted to tell me is we have immunity.
That was Mark Crawford's experience when he went to the Catholic Church to report he had been sexually abused by his parish priest as a child.
Since 1958, charitable groups have been protected by a law that gives blanket immunity from lawsuits, whether it's someone who's slipped on the steps at church or been sexually assaulted by a clergyman.
Mark Crawford/"Fix the Law" Director: "The sexual molestation of a child is a crime and no institution should be held to a different standard than what we expect from our secular society."
Right now New Jersey is one of only 3 states in the country, along with Alabama and Tennessee, that still has a charitable immunity law on the books.
Barbara Polesir/SNAP So. Jersey: "They're all protected this way, not only churches but the boy scouts."
Today members of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) and other groups rallied at the statehouse to urge the assembly to do what the senate already has: change the law so victims of childhood sex abuse can sue churches, schools and other non-profits for the actions of their employees.
Posted by kshaw at December 12, 2005 05:09 PM