NEW JERSEY
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
May 13, 2019
By Susan K. Livio
Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday signed a law sought by victims in the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal for two decades that will grant them greater freedom in New Jersey to sue their abusers and the nonprofits employers.
In his signing statement, Murphy acknowledged the legislation was the subject of a lengthy and emotional battle between victims and religious leaders.
“I recognize that this issue has evoked strong passions on both sides, as supporters of the bill rightly note that it greatly increases the ability of victims of sexual abuse to pursue justice through the court system,” Murphy said in his statement.
“Opponents argue that by exposing religious and nonprofit organizations to potentially massive financial liabilities, the bill may have the unintended effect of inhibiting these organizations from providing the services that many vulnerable New Jerseyans rely on,” the Democratic governor added.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.