Archdiocese of Newark Allegedly Dismissed Survivor’s Abuse Claims
A clergy abuse survivor alleges that the Archdiocese of Newark dismissed the claims he brought to them. Nearly 30 years ago, a priest originally from St. Michael’s Parish in Florham Park, New Jersey allegedly abused the survivor when the priest served as a substitute at the Immaculate Conception Church within the Archdiocese. After decades of suppressing the abuse, the man gathered the courage to come forward with the claims when he read the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report released in 2018. When he approached the Archdiocese back in August 2018, representatives kept passing him on to others, and he did not receive any type of resolution. The Archdiocese claims that since the purported abusive priest was a member of the religious order Society of Divine Vocations that they are not responsible for examining the claims despite his service in Archdiocese churches. The priest left the order 20 years ago, and currently serves as a priest in a church in Brazil who claims they never received information regarding the abuse allegations. In the meantime, the survivor filed his claims with the Newark Police Department.
Despite the fact that religious orders fall within the authority of the Catholic church, many dioceses deflect responsibility for investigating abuse claims by members of the orders even if they have served as clergy members within their churches. They state that they are not accountable for compensating victims or survivors if the priest in question is involved with a religious order. This prevents those who suffered from traumatic abuse to put the past behind them and hold their abusers accountable for their actions.
If you or someone you love suffered from abuse as a child, our New Jersey clergy abuse lawyers at the Law Offices of Harold J. Gerr will pursue justice for you. To schedule a free case review, call us at 732-537-8570 or toll-free at 877-249-4600 or contact us online. From our offices in Highland Park, New Jersey, we serve clients throughout New Jersey including the municipalities of New Brunswick, Somerset, Piscataway, Edison, South River, Sayreville, Metuchen, East Brunswick, South Plainfield, Fords, Middlesex, Old Bridge, Iselin, Bound Brook, Perth Amboy, and Colonia.
