Vitale on Today’s Assembly Vote on Charitable Immunity

NEWARK – Senator Joseph F. Vitale will attend a candlelight vigil this Saturday night in Newark in support of clergy sex abuse victims, and legislation he sponsored to remove a charitable organization’s immunity from lawsuits when they act negligently and put children at risk for sexual molestation.

“This vigil is a grassroots call for justice in New Jersey,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “For too long, irresponsible charitable organizations have hid behind the shield of charitable immunity while the organizations’ policies have continually put kids in harm’s way, exposing them to dangerous sexual predators because the charity opted not to do what’s right. I am proud to stand with those seeking justice and demand a better standard in the Garden State.”

TRENTON – Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, the prime sponsor of S-540, legislation which would remove a charity’s immunity from lawsuit when the charity knowingly or negligently put children at risk for sexual assault, issued the following statement regarding a rally today on the Statehouse steps in support of charitable immunity reform:

“New Jersey is a national model for progress in so many key issues affecting the lives of our residents. We were among the first states to ban assault weapons, we were among the first to promote stem cell research, and we were the first to have Megan’s Law to protect children from sexual predators.

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would amend the State’s charitable immunity clause to allow sexual assault victims to sue charitable organizations when those organizations negligently hired or retained in their employment a sexual predator, was approved today by the Assembly by a vote of 63-5, with 9 abstentions.

“This is a victory that’s been a long time coming for the victims and their families who have had to live through the nightmare of sexual abuse,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “For too long, we’ve given charitable organizations a shield from litigation, even when the charity has negligently put the lives and psychological well-being of children at risk. Now, we are one step away from justice for those who have suffered long enough.

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would amend the State’s charitable immunity clause to allow sexual assault victims to sue charitable organizations when the organization negligently hired or retained in their employment a sexual predator, will be considered on Monday by the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee.

“When an organization threatens a child’s physical safety or psychological welfare by placing the child in an unsafe environment, that organization must be held liable,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “For too long, charitable groups have shrugged off their responsibility under charitable immunity edicts to ensure child safety, and in the meantime, they’ve harbored vicious sexual predators who have done so much damage to their victims. We need to have a higher standard when the safety of our kids is at risk.”

TRENTON – Senator Nia H. Gill, the prime sponsor of legislation to remove the legal protection for charities that negligently put children in harm’s way by hiding sexual predators within the institutional framework of the charity, issued the following statement on its passage today in the Senate by a vote of 34-1, receiving final legislative approval:

“Victims of sexual abuse have waited so long for their day of reckoning, and today, we are so much closer to granting them the justice they so richly deserve.

TRENTON – Senator Joseph F. Vitale will host a screening of the Academy Award nominated documentary “Twist of Faith,” to put a human face on clergy sex abuse cases in New Jersey and underscore the need for charitable immunity reform, tomorrow, May 12, at noon and 3:00 P.M. in Committee Room 1 in the Statehouse Annex.

“The film is a visceral reminder of the impact of clergy sex abuse on the survivors’ lives,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, the prime sponsor of legislation to remove charitable immunity protection from groups that knowingly and negligently put children in harm’s way from sexual predators. “However, we also need the Legislature to understand that sexual molestation in charitable groups is not confined to the actions of one or two sexual predators hiding behind a good cause, but rather, a systemic problem that must be addressed through reform to truly protect our children. The guilt and feelings of worthlessness associated with sexual abuse many times stay with the survivors for the rest of their lives, and charitable groups that do nothing to address allegations of abuse should not be shielded from litigation by State law.”

TRENTON – Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, the prime sponsor of legislation to remove the legal protection for charities that negligently put children in harm’s way by hiding sexual predators within the institutional framework of the charity, issued the following statement on its passage today in the Senate by a vote of 34-1, receiving final legislative approval:

“Today, we are one step closer to having true justice for the victims of sexual abuse who have had to suffer because of the deceitful and negligent actions of charities that have turned a blind eye towards sexual predators in their midst.

TRENTON – Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, the prime sponsor of legislation to remove the legal protection for charities that negligently put children in harm’s way by harboring sexual predators, issued the following statement today on Governor Codey signing the bill into law:

“With a signature, we are finally able to bring justice to those who have had to suffer from the shame and mental anguish of sexual abuse because a charitable organization negligently turned a blind eye on the predators in their midst.