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Pa. victims sue Archdiocese of Newark, Harrisburg Diocese

N.J. law gives victims more time to sue

  • Ed Mahon
Sisters Patty Fortney-Julius, Lara Fortney McKeever, second from left, Teresa Forteny-Miller, second from right, and Carolyn Fortney sit behind pictures of themselves as children as they listen to an attorney speak to reporters during a news conference in Newark, N.J., Monday, Dec. 2, 2019. Two of the sisters from Pennsylvania, Patty and Lara, are suing the Archdiocese of Newark and the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They allege clergy in Newark knew a priest had sexually abused children before he moved to Harrisburg and abused them and their sisters for years. Lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy are taking center stage in New Jersey as the state's relaxation of statute of limitations rules takes effect.

 Seth Wenig / AP Photo

Sisters Patty Fortney-Julius, Lara Fortney McKeever, second from left, Teresa Forteny-Miller, second from right, and Carolyn Fortney sit behind pictures of themselves as children as they listen to an attorney speak to reporters during a news conference in Newark, N.J., Monday, Dec. 2, 2019. Two of the sisters from Pennsylvania, Patty and Lara, are suing the Archdiocese of Newark and the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They allege clergy in Newark knew a priest had sexually abused children before he moved to Harrisburg and abused them and their sisters for years. Lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy are taking center stage in New Jersey as the state's relaxation of statute of limitations rules takes effect.

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Seth Wenig / AP Photo

Sisters Patty Fortney-Julius, Lara Fortney McKeever, second from left, Teresa Forteny-Miller, second from right, and Carolyn Fortney sit behind pictures of themselves as children as they listen to an attorney speak to reporters during a news conference in Newark, N.J., Monday, Dec. 2, 2019. Two of the sisters from Pennsylvania, Patty and Lara, are suing the Archdiocese of Newark and the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They allege clergy in Newark knew a priest had sexually abused children before he moved to Harrisburg and abused them and their sisters for years. Lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy are taking center stage in New Jersey as the state’s relaxation of statute of limitations rules takes effect. (AP Photo / Seth Wenig)

  • The Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts of America and other major institutions across New Jersey could face “a torrent of lawsuits” now that a new law gives adult victims of childhood sexual abuse extended opportunities to sue, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeremy Roebuck reports.

  • The measure took effect Sunday. It extended the state’s statute of limitations for sex-abuse lawsuits, while also opening a temporary, two-year window to file a lawsuit based on a previously expired claim. Roebuck reports Pennsylvania’s eight Catholic dioceses “fear they could become vulnerable over claims involving priests who abused children on trips to the Jersey Shore.”

  • People are already starting to file lawsuits, including a man who alleges he was abused by a former leader of the Archdiocese of Newark, according to David Porter of The Associated Press.

  • Two sisters from a family who has spoken publicly about being abused in Pennsylvania by a now-deceased priest filed a lawsuit Monday in New Jersey against the Archdiocese of Newark and the Diocese of Harrisburg, PennLive’s Ivey DeJesus reports. Patty Fortney-Julius and Lara Fortney-McKeever allege that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Newark knew the priest had abused children before he was transferred to Pennsylvania where he abused them, and the lawsuit describes a cover-up by the Harrisburg Diocese. An attorney for the sisters said the Diocese of Harrisburg could be required to hand over every document related to predator priests.

  • The story of the Fortney sisters was highlighted in the August 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report, and four of the sisters shared their story on WITF’s Smart Talk program last year. Host Scott LaMar called it “one of the most heart-wrenching and compelling Smart Talk programs ever.”

  • WHYY reporters Joe Hernandez and Nicholas Pugliese also looked at changes in the New Jersey law, and they tell the story of 49-year-old Patrick Hennessy who says he was abused by a Boy Scout leader at the age of 12 — and kept silent for decades. “You think about it whether you’re sitting in Burger King or playing hockey. Anywhere you are, you constantly always remember,” he said. “It’s something that never goes away.”

  • The reporters describe New Jersey’s new two-year temporary window for adults to file claims “as one of the most expansive in the country.”

  • The changes in New Jersey stand in contrast to Pennsylvania, where efforts to change state law to create a similar window hit a wall in the Republican-controlled state Senate. Instead, lawmakers agreed to a compromise package that involves changing the state constitution to create a two-year window to sue.

  • Some sexual-abuse survivors feel conflicted over the longer process, The Associated Press’s Marc Levy reports. Lawmakers will have to pass another resolution in the 2021-22 legislative session, and voters will then have to approve it in a statewide referendum.

Best of the rest

The Lynard family of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, carries their Christmas tree at Linvilla Orchards in Media, Pennsylvania on Sunday.

Becca Haydu / WHYY

The Lynard family of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, carries their Christmas tree at Linvilla Orchards in Media, Pennsylvania on Sunday.  (Becca Haydu / WHYY)

  • The 2008 recession created lots of pain across the country, but some of that pain took longer to hit than others — much longer in the case of Christmas trees, WHYY’s Ximena Conde explains. Farmers planted fewer Christmas trees back during the economic downturn, and since the trees grow at an average rate of a foot per year, we’re still experiencing the fallout. One worry for Christmas tree sellers: If people switch to an artificial tree, they won’t come back to the real ones.

  • I missed the news last year that Wawa debuted its first-ever beer. Now, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Wood reports, the convenience store chain is expanding its craft beer selection. The beers will also now be available beyond select Pennsylvania stores, as Snowbird Reserve Vanilla Porter will be available in Florida and Coffee Cake Reserve Stout will be available in the Richmond, Va., region.

  • The major contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination are scheduled to be in Pittsburgh on Dec. 14 for a forum dedicated to the topic of education. MSNBC is the television partner. All the big names will be there, i.e. Biden, Buttigieg, Sanders, and Warren. But don’t call it a debate … because it’s not. Each candidate will be questioned separately, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tells us. For more, KDKA has a roundup of the news.

  • Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf wants Major League Baseball to keep its Minor League team affiliations in Erie, State College and Williamsport. “The MLB needs to do the right thing and recognize the value of these community institutions that have been part of the league’s success,” Wolf wrote to Major League Baseball leaders. Wolf, by the way, avoids picking between the Eagles and Steelers, but he’s always been pretty clear about his allegiance to the Phillies. Also going to bat for minor league fans is Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who met Monday with the MLB commissioner argue against the league’s effort to drop 42 minor league teams after the 2020 season.

  • Some very exciting news for our newsroom: Thanks to support from Report for America, WITF and PA Post will be welcoming two new reporters on July 1. The reporters will focus on how the growing Latino population is part of an ongoing change across Pennsylvania, and what issues resonate with Latinos in the run-up to the 2020 elections.  You can read more about why these are such important issues for our newsrooms and the state here. Interested reporters can apply here.

  • And a reminder before signing off: Today is the annual #GivingNewsDay. Contributions to PA Post will be quadrupled, enabling our small newsroom to build on our work. Go to papost.org/support. Thank you for your support.


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