TRENTON (NJ)
Trenton Times
Friday, January 06, 2006
By KRYSTAL KNAPP
Staff Writer
TRENTON - Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey signed a bill yesterday that allows victims of childhood sex abuse to sue churches, schools and other nonprofit organizations for their employees' misconduct.
The new law, described by some state legislators as one of the most important bills they have ever considered, removes the long-standing state shield for charities known as charitable immunity in cases of sex abuse.
The state statute of limitations still applies. Suits must be filed within two years of the victim's 18th birthday or within two years of the incident's discovery.
New Jersey is the 48th state to allow victims of childhood sex abuse to sue nonprofit groups for the actions of their staff. The only other states that give charities total protection from civil lawsuits are Alabama and Tennessee.