NEWARK (NJ)
Star-Ledger
March 11, 2019
To sum up five hours of absolutely brutal testimony before the New Jersey Senate, some of which will be repeated today for the Assembly: It’s easy to rape a child and get away with it.
We heard this from four sisters abused as girls by the same priest, and two of the Olympic gymnasts assaulted byteam doctorLarry Nassar. We heard it from burly men and grandparents, who cried as they relived their childhood terror.
The problem is, child victims are put on a clock. By law, they have only two years to file a civil suit, from the time they first realize that the abuse damaged them. When a person sexually assaulted at age 7 finally figures this out, and grapples with the trauma, it can be too late. The predator goes unpunished, and so do his enablers.
The bill would expand the two-year statute of limitations in New Jersey, allowing childhood victims of sexual assault more time to file a civil lawsuit.
And without the discovery phase of a civil lawsuit, forcing testimony from church officials, for instance, we may never know why an abuser was moved from parish to parish.
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