New Jersey Sex Abuse Lawsuits and Settlements

January 13, 2025: Seaton Hall

Controversy still surrounds Seton Hall University after Monsignor Joseph Reilly, previously named in a 2019 report for mishandling sexual abuse allegations, was appointed president. Reilly had allegedly failed to properly report abuse claims during his prior tenure, raising concerns among victims and political leaders, including New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. This incident has brought attention to the university’s response to abuse allegations and its prioritization of transparency in leadership decisions.

January 7, 2025: Former Student Receives Settlement in Grooming Case

The Ocean City School District agreed to a $485,000 settlement with a woman who claimed she was groomed and sexually abused by a substitute teacher nearly two decades ago. The abuse began in 2007 when the victim was 16 years old and the teacher was in his mid-20s. The teacher was criminally charged in 2008 with aggravated sexual assault and other offenses. The district’s insurance covered the settlement and did not directly impact taxpayers.

December 27, 2024: Human Sex Trafficking Stopped

New Jersey authorities dismantled two human trafficking rings, leading to charges against seven individuals. The victims, including children as young as 13, were forced into sexual encounters in Essex and Cumberland counties. In one case, two people allegedly trafficked minors using a smartphone app to arrange meetings in hotels and rentals. In another, a man and his associates forced victims to work as dancers and engage in sex with numerous men weekly.

November 11, 2024: Legal Malpractice Lawsuit from Sex Abuse Claim

In a one-off of the types of sex abuse lawsuits we usually talk about in this space, a woman filed a new legal malpractice lawsuit against her former lawyer.   The plaintiff alleges that the attorney committed multiple negligent and intentional actions in representing her after a serious assault by a coworker and her subsequent termination from employment. The plaintiff had hired the attorney to pursue claims against multiple parties related to the assault and employment termination, but asserts that he failed to include essential claims, defendants, and causes of action, thereby depriving her of potential relief.

November 5, 2024: New Jersey Residential Treatment Facilities

July 18, 2024: New Lawsuit Filed Against Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center

Six adults have filed a lawsuit against Middlesex County, alleging they were victims of sexual abuse while confined at the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center in North Brunswick. The plaintiffs, now aged 34 to 45, describe abuse dating back to 1991, including inappropriate strip searches and unlawful sexual relationships, often in exchange for contraband. This sex abuse lawsuit also targets Union County for similar allegations at its juvenile detention centers. Both suits claim systemic issues and severe underreporting of abuse, enabled by a culture of fear and retaliation among detainees.

July 12, 2024: World-Renowned Chess Player Files Lawsuit Against United States Chess Federation

Jennifer Shahade, a world-renowned chess player, has filed a lawsuit against the United States Chess Federation. The lawsuit claims Ms. Shahade was sexually assaulted by a Grand Master on two occasions, in 2011 and 2014. She alleges that despite her reporting these incidents, US Chess failed to take sufficient action to protect her and other potential victims, including minors, from further harm.  Ms. Shahade, who worked for US Chess until September 2023, asserts that after she publicly disclosed these issues, she faced retaliation, including being constructively discharged from her role.

The lawsuit also accuses US Chess of defamation, alleging that the organization published a misleading article that misrepresented the facts of her case and undermined her credibility.  The lawsuit further alleges that US Chess operated in a manner consistent with the New Jersey Civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, by failing to address sexual abuse complaints properly and allegedly concealing these issues to protect its reputation and financial interests. (We usually don’t name victims of sexual assault, but the victim in this case has been putting out her story on social media and elsewhere in an effort to help others.)

June 25, 2024: Camden City School District Reaches $2 Million Settlement

The Camden City School District has reached a $2 million settlement in a civil lawsuit filed by a former student against advisory board President Wasim Muhammad, alleging sexual abuse when he was her teacher.

After two weeks of negotiations, the agreement was finalized, adding $400,000 to a previous $1.6 million jury verdict. Under the settlement, the district will withdraw its motion to overturn the verdict, and defense lawyers will not seek an appeal. The plaintiff emphasized the case was about justice and accountability, not money. The school board and its insurance carrier will pay the settlement, with Muhammad not liable for any payment.

Although the jury found Muhammad did not abuse the plaintiff before she was 18, it held the district liable for negligence and a hostile educational environment. The plaintiff accused Muhammad of abuse starting when she was 14 and filed the lawsuit under the New Jersey Child Victims Act.

The case has led to calls for Muhammad’s resignation from the school board, with the plaintiff urging for better supervision and mandatory abuse reporting training in the district.

 May 28, 2024: Woman Abused By Grandfather To Settle For $7.5 Million

A woman who was sexually abused by her grandfather will settle her childhood sex abuse lawsuit for $7.5 million to settle her suit under New Jersey’s Child Sex Abuse Act.

The allegations are beyond awful. The abuse started with groping and fondling the girl’s nipples and vagina through her clothing.  When she was just 8, he began to kiss her, stick his tongue in her mouth, touch her breasts and vagina, digitally penetrating her vagina and forcing her to touch his penis.  As you often see, he threatened her if she reported him.

The family was reportedly financially dependent on the grandfather, which, sadly, made it apparently easier for them to ignore the evidence in front of them. The victim’s sex abuse attorney thinks that, unlike most cases like this, there is a chance to recover significant money from the perpetrator who has been busy trying to hide his assets.

 May 22, 2024: New Lawsuit Filed Against Roman Catholic Archdiocese Of Newark

A new sex abuse lawsuit, M.J. v. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, et al., filed in the , Essex County, the plaintiff brings a complaint against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, Queen of Peace High School, and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill. The plaintiff alleges that from 1984 to 1985, she was sexually abused by a teacher, referred to as the Perpetrator, employed by the defendants.

The complaint outlines multiple counts, including negligence, gross negligence, recklessness, willful and wanton acts, and omissions by the defendants in failing to properly supervise, report, and take action against the known risks posed by the perpetrator. The plaintiff further alleges that the defendants were aware of the perpetrator’s history of abuse and failed to protect her and other children. The complaint also includes claims for intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, negligent hiring and retention, civil conspiracy, and nuisance.

 May 13, 2024: $1.6 Million Awarded To Woman Who Alleged Sexual Abuse By Teacher

A Camden jury awarded $1.6 million in damages to a woman who alleged sexual abuse by a teacher at Hatch Middle School three decades ago. We discuss the verdict more in the example sex abuse settlements and verdicts below.

 May 2, 2024: New Lawsuit Alleges Sexual Abuse By Teacher At Queen Of Peace High School

A new sexual abuse lawsuit was filed this week against the Archdiocese of Newark. The lawsuit alleges that an unnamed teacher at Queen of Peace High School in North Arlington, NJ, sexually abused the plaintiff (and allegedly many other minors) between 1984 and 1987. The Complaint contains few details, but it asserts that the teacher’s inappropriate conduct was known to the school and church, but they did nothing.

April 13, 2024: Jury Awards $750,000 To Survivor Of Sex Abuse At State-Run Facility

Last week, a jury awarded $750,000 to a survivor of child sex abuse who was abused at a state-run facility in Salem County for troubled teens in 1994 after a four-day trial. The plaintiff, who was 14 or 15 at the time,  was a part of a program for juveniles in need of supervision in Woodstown, due to running away from home to escape abuse by his adoptive father. The abuse at the facility was perpetrated by a 40-year-old counselor, involving multiple instances of sexual misconduct.

The now 45-year-old man, having been abandoned as an infant and raised in the state’s foster care system, sought justice under New Jersey’s Child Victims Act. This act, as we talk about below,  allows survivors to file civil claims beyond the normal statute of limitations, emphasizing the importance of holding accountable those who enable such abuse. This case really shows the egregious oversight by several employees who were aware of the abuse yet failed to intervene. The lawsuit involved the state, the county, and the state’s Human Services Division as defendants.

March 29, 2024: Complaint Filed Against Multiple Defendants

This is a complaint filed by a plaintiff, K.M., against several defendants, including the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, Queen of Peace High School, and Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill. The plaintiff alleges that the perpetrator, identified as Lief Schiroki, sexually abused them during the years 1984-1987 while the plaintiff was a minor.

The complaint asserts that the defendants were aware of the risk of sexual abuse by individuals associated with them, including the perpetrator, yet failed to take appropriate action to prevent such abuse. The plaintiff suffered, as you would expect, severe emotional and psychological injuries as a result of the defendants’ negligence and seeks compensation for their actions.

March 26, 2024: Roman Catholic Diocese Of Camden Approved For $87.5 Million Settlement

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden has received approval from a New Jersey bankruptcy judge for its $87.5 million plan to settle sexual abuse claims, overcoming objections from insurance carriers after three previous plan iterations were rejected.

This successful attempt, acknowledged in an oral ruling by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Jerrold N. Poslusny Jr., came after adjustments were made to protect the insurers’ rights. The remaining objections were considered overruled, waived, or misinterpreted from previous decisions.

Originally filed in October 2020 amid numerous sexual abuse claims, the diocese’s Chapter 11 plan involves creating a settlement trust funded by contributions from the diocese and various non-debtor entities, with the diocese’s insurance policies also being assigned to the trust for claimant recovery efforts. Despite initial insurance carrier objections and failed earlier settlements, including a $30 million deal, the diocese’s third revised plan submitted in February addressed these concerns adequately.

March 19, 2024: Catholic Diocese Of Trenton Requests Dismissal Of Lawsuit Aiming To Deny Coverage

The Catholic Diocese of Trenton has requested that a New Jersey federal court dismiss a lawsuit by an insurer aiming to deny coverage for over 200 sexual abuse allegations against clergy. The diocese labels the insurer’s coverage dispute as “premature, vague, and ambiguous.” They argue that the question of Century Indemnity Co.’s responsibility to provide indemnity is not yet appropriate for judgment, given that the related abuse suits are still undergoing discovery without any awarded damages.

The diocese emphasizes the risk of conflicting decisions between this insurance case and the ongoing personal injury lawsuits, which could potentially compromise the diocese’s efforts to fulfill its obligations towards survivors of child sexual abuse. This contention arises amidst 550 claims and more than 200 lawsuits triggered by New Jersey’s Child Victims Act of 2019, detailing allegations of sexual misconduct by diocesan clergy and staff from the 1940s through the 2000s. This is insurance companies doing what insurance companies do. Despite Century’s initial agreement to defend the diocese under specific conditions, the insurer later contested its duty to indemnify.

March 7, 2024: New Jersey Appeals Court Decides BGCA Cannot Be Sued For Alleged Abuse By Former Employee

A New Jersey appeals court decided that the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) cannot be sued in the state’s courts for alleged sexual abuse by a former employee of its Hudson County branch. Unfortunately, the court concluded that the national BGCA organization did not have direct control over the local affiliate’s employee matters, such as hiring, training, or supervision. Therefore, it was determined that BGCA did not engage with New Jersey in a way that would subject it to local jurisdiction. This decision overturned a previous ruling by a Hudson County Superior Court judge, who had stated that the BGCA could be sued in New Jersey.

February 22, 2024: Winslow Township School District Agrees To $6 Million Settlement

The Winslow Township school district has agreed to a settlement of $6 million with two ex-students who claimed in their lawsuit to have been repeatedly sexually assaulted by a former high school teacher over several years.

These two male students lodged individual lawsuits, filed weeks apart, accusing Nicholas Zaccaria, a teacher of social studies and history at what was then Edgewood High School—now Winslow Township High School—of assaulting them between 1998 and 2003. Zaccaria, who also served as a theater adviser, was implicated by the students who participated in the stage crew club during their teenage years. This settlement is considered the highest of its kind by a public school district in New Jersey.

February 18, 2024: New Clergy Abuse Lawsuit Filed In Essex County

A new clergy abuse lawsuit was filed in Essex County naming the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, the Marist Brothers of the Schools, Inc., the Marist Brothers, the Province of Esopus, and Roselle Catholic High School.

The plaintiff alleges that in 1983, at approximately fourteen years of age, she enrolled at Roselle Catholic High School, attending until around 1987, when she was about eighteen. Throughout the plaintiff’s time at the school, Brother Donald Richard, F.M.S., known as Brother Richard, was associated with Roselle Catholic High School as a guidance counselor, where he had various duties. Brother Richard sexually abused her abused, by doing awful things like hugging Plaintiff’s body close to his body so that Plaintiff could feel his erect penis and touching her genitals over her underwear. After all this time, she understandably wants compensation for what was done to her.

February 11, 2024: Century Indemnity Files Lawsuit

Century Indemnity filed a lawsuit in New Jersey federal court seeking a declaration that the insurer is not obligated to defend or indemnify the Diocese of Trenton and its associated schools and parishes against numerous sex abuse claims from minors triggered by the New Jersey Child Victims Act (CVA). The CVA, effective from December 2019, allows survivors of child sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits until their 55th birthday and introduces a revival window for previously time-barred claims.

The Diocese of Trenton, as we have been talking about here, faces around 550 claims of sexual abuse, with over 200 lawsuits filed under the CVA alleging bodily injury from such abuse. Century, which provided insurance policies to the diocese between 1957 and 1972, contends that its policies cover accidents and occurrences, not intentional conduct or acts concealed by the diocese.

The insurer alleges incomplete cooperation from the diocese in providing the necessary documentation to evaluate the claims. The lawsuit aims to clarify Century’s duty to indemnify in instances not arising from accidents or occurrences and addresses the broader issue of institutional knowledge and concealment of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, as suggested by the underlying complaints.

February 6, 2024: 40-Year-Old Man Faces 16-Count Indictment For Alleged Human Trafficking

A 40-year-old man, Nieem Johnson, with a last known address in Philadelphia, faces a 16-count indictment for allegedly leading a human trafficking operation across New Jersey and Pennsylvania. This legal action follows the escape of a teenage girl from a Bordentown hotel, where she claims to have been held captive and subjected to sex trafficking.

The charges, announced by U.S. Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ), include two counts of first-degree human trafficking, first-degree conspiracy, two counts of second-degree facilitating human trafficking, first-degree advertising commercial sex abuse of a minor, first-degree promoting organized street crime, third-degree criminal restraint, first-degree promoting prostitution of a minor, second-degree engaging in prostitution with a minor, three counts of second-degree sexual assault, third-degree criminal coercion, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and third-degree aggravated assault.

January 24, 2024: New Jersey Appellate Panel Makes Ruling Regarding Pennsylvania Plaintiffs

A New Jersey appellate panel has ruled that the state’s courts are not the appropriate venue for Pennsylvania plaintiffs to bring sexual abuse claims against the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. This decision, which upholds earlier rulings by two trial court judges, found that New Jersey lacked jurisdiction in cases where plaintiffs alleged sexual abuse by Pennsylvania priests in the 1970s and 1980s. The court determined that the archdiocese did not engage in activities within New Jersey related to the alleged priest abuse. We flesh this case out further below.

January 15, 2024: Three Sons Of Johnson And Johnson Heiress Face Allegations Of Sexual Abuse

A New Jersey federal judge has ruled that three adult sons of a wealthy Johnson and Johnson heiress cannot dismiss claims alleging they sexually abused their teenage stepsister from age 13 to 17 during the 1970s.  The allegations here are just depressing. The lawsuit, filed by the woman identified as K.S.D., alleges she was groomed and sexually abused by her adult stepbrothers shortly after her father married their mother in 1972. K.S.D. claims she did not recognize their actions as sexual assault until years later, and the abuse impacted her ability to form healthy relationships and financial stability.

The lawsuit has been amended twice and corrected for a jurisdictional defect. The latest filing narrows the allegations to three of her four stepbrothers, removing the youngest as a defendant.  One defendant argued for dismissal due to insufficient facts, but Judge Robert Kirsch deemed it too early for such a ruling.

The lawsuit details that the siblings lived in a minimally supervised home in New Jersey from 1972 to 1976. The sex abuse lawsuit alleges various instances of sexual abuse, including grooming, oral sex, and penetration. It also claims that the plaintiff was impregnated and forced to have an abortion at 15, causing emotional and physical trauma.

Importantly, the court rejected arguments that the claims were outside the New Jersey sexual assault statute of limitations, citing the state’s Child Sexual Abuse Act and a two-year revival window for previously time-barred claims.

January 9, 2024: Lawsuit Filed Against Trump National Golf Club Bedminster

Alice Bianco, a former server at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, also known as Lamington Farm Club, has filed a lawsuit alleging fraudulent inducement of a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) following her accusations of sexual harassment by a club manager. Bianco claims that attorney (and busiest person in America) Alina Habba manipulated her into signing an NDA that was favorable to Trump while acting as a neutral party.

The golf club argues that the suit should be dismissed, stating that Habba was not acting as an employee or agent of the club at the time and Bianco’s claims are directed against a third-party attorney.  Bianco’s lawsuit details her experience of being sexually harassed by the club’s food and beverage manager and alleges that she was coerced into having sex to retain her job. She claims that Habba, while representing herself as a neutral party, was secretly working for Trump’s interests, leading her to drop her employment lawyer and sign a settlement and NDA.

November 23, 2023: Insurance Companies Appeal To New Jersey Bankruptcy Judge

A coalition of insurance companies has appealed to a New Jersey bankruptcy judge to reject the most recent Chapter 11 restructuring proposal by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden and its official committee of tort claimant creditors.

These insurers want to pay as little as possible. So they contend that the proposed plan fails to rectify the errors that led to the rejection of the diocese’s initial plan in August and further compounds them.

The motion opposing the plan says the revised plan neglects the court’s directive for a more impartial approach considering insurers’ interests. They assert that the plan demonstrates prejudice and overlooks the necessity for a mechanism to assess and dismiss deficient claims.

They also gripe in their motion about appointing a new trust administrator, Matthew Dundon.  They think he is too in bed with plaintiffs’ lawyers generally and, specifically, the tort committee. Their fear here is that his lack of impartiality creates an incentive to maximize the value of a claim when liquidating a contingent claim to a fixed amount, which is adverse to the interests of the insurance companies who want to hang on to every dear penny.  However, a Camden Diocese settlement is unlikely unless these insurance companies realize they need to pay more to get this deal done.

September 8, 2023: Federal Judge Rejects $87.5 Million Settlement

A federal judge rejected the $87.5 million settlement proposed by the Camden Diocese for sexual abuse survivors, citing concerns that it could burden insurance companies with illegitimate claims and excessive attorney fees.

So he invalidated the Chapter 11 plan proposed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden due to its perceived bias against the diocese’s insurance carriers.  It is hard to envision the insurance companies are the real victims here.

The plan aimed to create a settlement trust funded by $87.5 million to compensate sexual abuse survivors. While the judge overruled some objections related to the plan, he found that it lacked sufficient protection for the insurers.

The diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2020 due to sexual abuse claims. The diocese is reviewing the decision and will submit a revised plan. One change you can expect the diocese to make is a rewrite of a “rapid payment” choice where claimants could potentially receive a minimum of $2,500 Camden Diocese settlement by completing a nine-page questionnaire. The judge had a real problem with this part of the settlement.  I agree that the system must direct the settlement money to real victims, not people filling out questionnaires.