Lawsuits Names Two Clerics Accused Publicly for the First Time of Child Sexual Abuse in the Diocese
(Metuchen, NJ) – Today, attorneys from the law firms of Jeff Anderson & Associates and Gianforcaro Law, on behalf of two (2) survivors, filed two (2) lawsuits for childhood sexual abuse against the Diocese of Metuchen. The cases, brought under the New Jersey Child Sexual Abuse Act / New Jersey Victims’ Rights Bill (S.477), identify two child abusers who worked in the Diocese, Brother Regis Moccia, S.C. and Father Patrick H. Barrett, both accused publicly for the first time.
“The courageous survivors who brought suit today are reclaiming the power that was stolen from them as children,” said attorney Greg Gianforcaro. “We are honored to stand with them in their pursuit of truths that have been hidden for far too long.”
Among the complaints:
- One lawsuit names Brother Regis Moccia, S.C. of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart for the sexual abuse of a 13- to 14-year-old from approximately 1994 to 1995 while the plaintiff was a student at St. Joseph High School (Metuchen), a school within the Diocese and staffed by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart.
- The other lawsuit names Father Patrick H. Barrett, accused of sexually abusing a minor parishioner at St. Anthony of Padua (Port Reading) from approximately 1983 to 1984 when the plaintiff was 9 to 10 years old.
“These survivors are standing up, speaking out and seizing the opportunity afforded by New Jersey’s Child Sexual Abuse Act which has opened the courthouse doors for survivors of any age to take action for a limited time,” said attorney Jeff Anderson. “It’s time for a reckoning in the Diocese of Metuchen.”