$3 Million Cape May Verdict for a Childhood Abuse Survivor — and What It Means for New Jersey Survivors Today

By Ken Fulginiti, Founder, Fulginiti Law · Published July 17, 2026

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In Brief

A Cape May County jury has awarded $3 million to a woman who was sexually abused as a 14-year-old at a New Jersey retreat center in 1974. The award — which could climb toward $4 million with prejudgment interest — was based entirely on the emotional harm she carried for more than five decades, with no claim for lost wages or medical bills. For other survivors, the case is a reminder that New Jersey law has changed profoundly, though the deadlines are specific, and understanding them early matters.

CAPE MAY, N.J. — This week a Cape May County jury found the Cape May Retreat Center liable for the childhood sexual abuse our client suffered as a 14-year-old during a stay there in 1974, and awarded her $3 million. The center was operated by The Marianists — the Society of Mary, a Roman Catholic religious order. Our client brought her case as “Jane Doe,” and after more than fifty years, a jury told her plainly that she was believed.

I want to explain what the jury did, why it matters beyond this one case, and — for any survivor reading this — how New Jersey law now treats claims that were once considered too old to bring.

What the Jury Decided

The jury awarded $3 million. With an award of prejudgment interest, the total recovery could approach $4 million.

What makes the number worth pausing on is what it did not include. There was no claim for lost wages. There was no claim for medical expenses. The entire award rested on the emotional consequences our client felt throughout her life. Juries are sometimes asked to translate that kind of harm into a dollar figure, and this jury took its job seriously.  From preliminary research, this appears to be one of the highest civil jury verdicts in Cape May County history, certainly the highest for a case like this.

Why This Verdict Matters Beyond One Case

We believe this is likely the first jury verdict against the Marianists in New Jersey. There have been other lawsuits involving the Order, but a verdict — a jury’s finding of liability after trial — is a different thing than a filing or a settlement. We are still looking into whether there have been comparable jury verdicts against the Order elsewhere in the country.

I’m careful with a claim like that because it deserves to be verified rather than asserted. What I can say without qualification is this: an institution was held accountable in front of a jury for what happened to a child in its care, and that accountability arrived decades after most people would have assumed the case was long past.

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How New Jersey Opened that Door

For a very long time, survivors of childhood sexual abuse in New Jersey faced filing deadlines that ran out long before many of them were ready — or able — to come forward. That changed in 2019.

On May 13, 2019, Governor Phil Murphy signed S477 into law. Effective December 1, 2019, it did two significant things:

• It opened a two-year “revival window.” From December 1, 2019 through November 30, 2021, survivors could bring civil claims that had previously expired — regardless of the survivor’s age or how long ago the abuse occurred. That window is now closed. Cases like our client’s were made possible by it.
• It extended the deadline going forward. For claims not covered by the window, New Jersey now allows survivors to sue until their 55th birthday, or within seven years of when they first realize the abuse caused them harm — whichever is later.

The law also narrowed the immunities that had historically shielded nonprofit and religious institutions, exposing those institutions to claims that they were negligent in how they hired, supervised, or retained the people who caused harm.

What This Means for Survivors Today

If you are a survivor wondering whether you still have options, the answer depends on the specifics — and those specifics carry real weight. The two-year revival window has closed, but the extended deadline — until age 55, or seven years from when you connect the abuse to its harm — remains, and the “discovery” part of that rule is fact-sensitive. Two people abused in the same year can have very different deadlines depending on when the harm surfaced.

That is exactly the kind of question to put to a lawyer early rather than late. Knowing your actual deadline is far better than assuming it has already passed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can a case from 1974 be brought now? New Jersey’s 2019 law (S477) opened a two-year window, from December 1, 2019 to November 30, 2021, that revived claims which had previously expired. Our client’s case was brought during that period. The window has since closed, but a separate, extended deadline still applies to many survivors going forward.

Is the revival window still open? No. The two-year revival window closed on November 30, 2021. Survivors may still have claims under New Jersey’s extended statute of limitations, which can run until age 55 or seven years from the discovery of harm, whichever is later.

Why was the award so large if there were no medical bills or lost wages? The jury based its award entirely on the emotional harm and suffering our client endured. New Jersey law allows juries to compensate that harm, and this jury valued it at $3 million — potentially near $4 million with prejudgment interest.

Can religious or nonprofit institutions be held responsible? Yes. The 2019 law narrowed longstanding immunities, allowing survivors to pursue claims that an institution was negligent in hiring, supervising, or retaining those responsible for abuse.

Do I have to use my name to file a claim? Not necessarily. Our client proceeded as “Jane Doe.” Courts can allow survivors to protect their identity; whether and how that applies is something a lawyer can walk you through.

Talk to Fulginiti Law

This result came from a trial, not a settlement — from putting the case to a jury and asking it to name the harm. If you are a survivor trying to understand what New Jersey law still allows and how much time you have, that is a conversation to have now, not later. Every conversation is confidential. Fulginiti Law is a Philadelphia-based firm representing survivors and victims of catastrophic harm.

Call (215) 602-4204 or reach us through our contact page for a free, confidential consultation.

Fulginiti Law · One Commerce Square, 2005 Market Street, Suite 3710, Philadelphia, PA 19103 · (215) 602-4204

Support beyond the legal question: If you need to talk to someone, the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) and at online.rainn.org. Support is available whether or not you ever decide to pursue a legal claim.

Related Practice Resources

• Childhood Sexual Abuse Lawyers Serving Pennsylvania and New Jersey

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