Governor signs bill easing limit on sex abuse lawsuits

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation Monday to ease restrictions on when childhood sexual abuse victims can seek damages in court, an action that comes after a wave of details last year about the abuse of minors in the Roman Catholic Church.

Murphy said in a statement that he recognized opponents' worries that the expanded statute, which allows victims to sue institutions, will expose organizations to financial liability. But that is outweighed by concern over victims, the first-term Democrat said.

"I cannot deny victims the ability to seek redress in court for sexual abuse that often leaves trauma lasting a lifetime," he said in a statement accompanying his signature.

The legislation allows child victims to sue up until they turn 55 or within seven years of their first realization that the abuse caused them harm. The current statute of limitations is age 20 or two years after first realizing the abuse caused harm.

The bill also would give a two-year window to victims who were previously barred by the statute of limitation. It also allows victims to seek damages from institutions.

Many states have overhauled their criminal and civil statutes of limitations since the 2002 Boston Globe reporting detailing abuse in the Catholic Church. But just a handful, including California, Delaware, Hawaii and Minnesota, have created so-called lookback windows for lawsuits. New York enacted a bill earlier this year that creates a window similar to the one in New Jersey, which already has no statute of limitations on criminal charges.

The legislation has been on lawmakers' radar for nearly a decade, but it comes soon after the state's five Catholic dioceses released the names of 188 priests credibly accused of sexually abusing minors over a period of decades. It also comes after they announced in...