3 New Sex Abuse Lawsuits Filed Against NJ Diocese

METUCHEN, NJ — Three additional lawsuits were filed Thursday against the Diocese of Metuchen alleging sexual abuse by defrocked cardinal Theodore McCarrick, and two other clerics: Fr. John Butler and Br. Regis Moccia.

Butler and Moccia, who are now deceased, worked at high schools that were under the direct control of the diocese, according to Jeff Anderson, the attorney representing the plaintiffs.

The latest lawsuit accused McCarrick of sexually abusing a New York man back in the 80s when McCarrick was Bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

The defrocked cardinal went on to become archbishop of the Archdiocese of Newark in the mid-80s and then Archbishop of Washington, D.C., in 2000. He was made cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II.

McCarrick was defrocked in 2019 by Pope Francis after a Vatican investigation found he sexually abused minors and adults. He also faces other lawsuits in New Jersey.

The lawsuit against Butler alleges that he abused a boy in the 90s while working at St. John Vianney School in Colonia. The abuse began when the boy was 9 years old, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit says that the Dioceses of Metuchen “knew or should have known that Fr. Butler was a danger to children.” Butler died in 2016.

The suit against Moccia, who worked at St. Joseph’s High School in Metuchen, claims he abused a boy in the early 1980s beginning when the boy was 14 years old. Moccia was a member of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, before his death in 2002.

The diocese is accused of negligence in both the Butler and Moccia lawsuits. Although Butler was removed from ministry in 2002, the Dioceses of Metuchen has not included him in their list of “credibly accused,” said Anderson. Even Moccia’s name does not feature in the list of accused released by the Diocese, Anderson said.

At the press conference held on Thursday, Anderson pleaded with Rev. James F. Checchio, Bishop of Metuchen, to release the names of all clergy offenders.

“We urge you, we invite you, we implore you — release those names of those secret settlements of those offenders that you have now made,” Anderson said.

“The public needs to know. And the survivors need to know who are suffering in silence sometimes believing they are the only ones, deserve to know while they have time to act. Do it today.”

Thursday’s lawsuits come as the two-year window to file sex abuse claims narrows. New Jersey opened the window back in December 2019 and all claims must be filed by Nov. 30.

Anthony P. Kearns, III, Esq., spokesperson and chancellor for the Diocese said that they cannot “comment on matters pending litigation” but hold in prayer all survivors of abuse, “among them those survivors who have courageously come forward to bring their past abuse to light.”

"Though their abuse may belong to the past, we are called and committed to responding in the present with transparency and integrity to bring hope and healing to all who have suffered the effects of abuse,” Kearns said.

The spokesperson said that the Diocese has taken aggressive steps since the adoption of the abuse prevention policies in 2002, and was recently found “compliant with all audited Articles within the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People for the audit period of July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2021.”

“The diocese has implemented the Holy Father’s Motu proprio, Vos estis lux mundi, which calls bishops worldwide to greater accountability; requires background checks for all clergy, employees and volunteers, as well as training for all who work or volunteer with children; strongly enforces a zero-tolerance policy; and relies on a review board to determine the credibility of every allegation against clergy, if not already deemed criminal by the authorities. We will continue to take steps forward to ensure the shameful actions of the past cannot be repeated in the future,” Kearns said.

He urged anyone who has been harmed in any way, by any clergy in the Church, to immediately notify law enforcement by calling 1-877 NJ ABUSE and also encouraged them to reach out to the diocesan Director of Child and Youth Protection at (908) 930-4558.

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