Can Delbarton recover from $5M sex assault verdict? ‘Stakes are high’ as jury reconvenes
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The $5 million jury verdict in favor of a Delbarton School graduate who said he was sexually assaulted by a monk a half-century ago could have vast implications for one of New Jersey’s most prestigious private schools, as well as scores of other clergy abuse lawsuits, according to those who followed the landmark trial.
Delbarton — the tony Morris Township school that has educated top-flight business leaders, celebrities and athletes — can survive the hit to its reputation and finances, if it handles future cases appropriately and strikes the right tone with its public messaging, some observers said.
But the unanimous jury verdict delivered at the Morris County Courthouse on Oct. 8 will surely embolden others with sexual abuse claims to pursue cases against the school or other religious institutions, legal experts said. Delbarton and the Catholic Church will face more pressure to settle rather than fight in court.
With the $5 million award, “the value of those settlements likely went up significantly,” said Joseph Del Russo, a Montclair State University law professor and a former chief assistant in the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office.
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