300 Victims in Diocese of Camden Sex Abuse Case Find Solace in $87.5M Deal (Unpublished)

Source: Great Hope Baptist Church / Great Hope Baptist Church[/caption]

One of the largest cash settlements involving the Catholic church within the United States just happened in Camden, New Jersey.

The Diocese of Camden is agreeing to pay $87.5 million to an alleged 300 victims within a sexual abuse case that spans 40 years.

Survivors of sexual abuse from the 1950s through the 1990s are going to be receiving compensation for the horrors they've endured within the Catholic church. The Diocese of Camden represents South Jersey's Catholic near 500,000 following within 62 parishes. That following resides in Gloucester, Salem, Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Camden counties. The settlement was first brought up in 2020, when the Diocese of Camden filed for bankruptcy.

It was right after a new law allowed New Jersey victims of sexual abuse to sue the Catholic church. The law gives child victims time to sue up until they turn 55 or within seven years of their first realization that the abuse caused them harm. Then almost immediately after that law was passed, the Diocese of Camden was hit with 55 lawsuits on top of the bankruptcy.

According to the Associated Press, abuse survivors who filed a claim in the bankruptcy could get $290,000 a piece, which also adds money obtained from the diocese’s insurance companies. The $87.5 million settlement still has to go through a U.S. bankruptcy judge, which will most likely be through Camden's U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Camden Bishop Dennis Sullivan showed compassion for the victims, as he announced the settlement in a statement.

My prayers go out to all survivors of abuse and I pledge my continuing commitment to ensure that this terrible chapter in the history of the Diocese of Camden never happens again.

The Diocese of Camden has made an effort in recent years to acknowledge and help victims of sexual abuse with the church.

Its hard to shy away from known incidents. Since 2019, five New Jersey Catholic dioceses provided more than 180 priests who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors over a span of many decades. The Diocese of Camden has resources on their website for victims to report and get help. If you're a victim of abuse with the Catholic church, you should call your county's prosecutor office.

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