The New Jersey Supreme Court recently granted a motion for leave to appeal in D.T. v. Archdiocese of Philadelphia, a case filed over the alleged sexual abuse of a minor by a Catholic priest which was dismissed in the Appellate Division for lack of personal jurisdiction.
The plaintiff’s claim alleged that he was sexually abused by a former Catholic priest, Michael McCarthy, in New Jersey in 1971, when he was 14 years old. At that time, McCarthy was a priest and teacher in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which is named as a defendant in the case. D.T.’s claims against the archdiocese were dismissed by the Atlantic County Superior Court. In December, the appellate court affirmed the lower court’s order for lack of personal jurisdiction because no facts established that the parish purposely availed itself of any benefits in or from New Jersey related to McCarthy’s alleged abuse, according to the opinion.
