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New Jersey

New Jersey Sexual Abuse Lawyer: Free, Confidential Answers About Your Options

If you were sexually abused in New Jersey, you can often bring a civil claim against the person who did it and against the institution that allowed it to happen.

You do not need a police report. You do not need a criminal conviction. You do not need to have told anyone at the time. A civil case is separate from a criminal case, and it is yours to bring.

Talk to Joe, free and confidential Call (848) 290-7929

Free, confidential, and no obligation. You decide what happens next, and you can stop at any point.

  • NJ Bar No. 032141988Verifiable, and published here so you can check it
  • 37 yearsAdmitted in New Jersey in 1989
  • No fee unless you winCases are handled on contingency
  • Free and confidentialNothing you say here commits you to anything
Joseph L. Messa, Jr., Esq., New Jersey sexual abuse lawyer
Joseph L. Messa, Jr., Esq. New Jersey Bar No. 032141988 37 years in practice, admitted 1989. New Jersey Super Lawyers every year since 2017.

The reasons people give themselves for not calling

Almost everyone who gets in touch says one of these four things first. Each one is worth answering plainly, because for most people they are the only thing in the way.

  • "I do not think anyone will believe me."

    You will not be asked to prove anything to us before we help you. No police report, no conviction, and no evidence you have been carrying around. Being believed is the starting point of the conversation, not something you have to earn in it.

  • "It happened too long ago."

    This is the single most common reason people never call, and it is wrong far more often than it is right. New Jersey law changed in 2019 and abuse from decades ago can still be actionable today.

  • "Someone will find out."

    Not from us. What you say is confidential, and nothing becomes public because you asked a question. If a claim is ever filed we talk through exactly what that means first, and that decision stays yours.

  • "I cannot afford a lawyer."

    The call costs nothing. If a claim goes ahead it is handled on contingency, which means there is no fee unless it succeeds. Cost is not the thing standing between you and an answer.

The lawyer you would actually be speaking to

This is not a directory listing or a referral service. There is one attorney behind this site and his name is Joseph L. Messa, Jr.

He has been admitted to practise in New Jersey since 1989, which is 37 years, and his New Jersey bar number is 032141988. That number is published here so you can check it, because you should be able to check it.

The attorneys and staff of Messa Law photographed together on the steps outside the firm offices
Joe does not work these cases alone. Messa Law has the investigators, paralegals and trial attorneys behind him to take an institution to court, which matters when the other side is a school district, a diocese or an insurer.

Cases Joe has resolved

  • $6.1 Million Recovery

    for a woman who was sexually assaulted after being overserved alcohol.

  • $4.5 Million Settlement

    for a minor who was sexually abused as a student by a staff member at her public school.

Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstance. Every case turns on its own facts, and no result here predicts what any other case is worth.

Where it happened

Most people do not search for a practice area. They search for the place it happened, or the person who did it. These pages are organized the same way, and each one explains who can be held responsible in that setting and what a claim involves.

  • School and teacher abuse

    A school district can be liable for a teacher, coach or aide who abused a student, and for ignoring what staff already knew.

  • Clergy and church abuse

    Claims against a parish, diocese or religious order for abuse by clergy, and for moving a known abuser between congregations.

  • Daycare and childcare abuse

    Centers and their operators are responsible for who they hire, how they supervise, and what they do once a concern is raised.

  • Doctor and medical abuse

    Abuse during an examination or treatment, and the practice or hospital that credentialed and supervised the provider.

  • Foster care abuse

    Claims involving placement, licensing and supervision failures when a child was harmed in state-arranged care.

  • Youth sports and coaching abuse

    Leagues, clubs and governing bodies can be liable for a coach they vetted poorly or kept on after complaints.

Every case type this firm handles, and the guides that explain them

Who is actually responsible

In most of these cases the person who committed the abuse is not the only one who can be held to account, and often not the one who can actually pay. The organization around them usually had duties of its own.

Those duties have names, and they matter because each one is a separate way of proving a case: negligent hiring, negligent supervision, negligent retention, failure to report, and vicarious liability for what an employee did in the course of their work.

How institutions are held liable for sexual abuse in New Jersey

What happens if you get in touch

  1. You speak to Joe. Not an intake screener, not a call center. The call is free and it is confidential.
  2. You say as much or as little as you want. You will not be asked to prove anything, and you can stop the conversation at any point.
  3. He tells you plainly whether there is something here, including when the answer is no. If there is, he explains what bringing a claim would actually involve.
  4. You decide. Nothing happens unless you say so, and there is no cost to you unless a claim succeeds.

How long do you have to file in New Jersey?

If you were abused as a child, you can generally bring a civil claim in New Jersey until your 55th birthday, or within seven years of realizing that your injuries are connected to the abuse, whichever of those is later.

If you were an adult when the abuse happened, the period is generally seven years from the incident, or seven years from the point at which you connected the harm to it.

New Jersey also ran a two-year lookback window, from December 1, 2019 to November 30, 2021, during which claims that had already expired could be brought regardless of age. That window has closed. It is worth being clear about, because people hear that it closed and conclude they have missed everything, when the ordinary deadlines above are separate and often still leave years.

Which of these applies to you, and when your seven years started, depends on facts specific to you. A short confidential call will tell you where you actually stand.

Talk to Joe, free and confidential Call (848) 290-7929

Free, confidential, and no obligation. You decide what happens next, and you can stop at any point.

Across New Jersey

The office is in Mount Laurel, in Burlington County, and cases are taken across the state. These pages cover the courts, county agencies and local services that apply where you are.

Questions people ask before they call

Do I need to have reported it to the police?

No. A civil claim is separate from a criminal case, and it does not depend on a police report, an investigation, or a conviction. Many of the people we act for never reported what happened, and that does not prevent a claim.

What if it happened a long time ago?

Abuse from many years ago can still be actionable in New Jersey. If you were abused as a child you can generally bring a claim until your 55th birthday, or within seven years of realizing your injuries are connected to the abuse, whichever is later. A great many people assume they are too late when they are not.

Will my family or my employer find out?

Not from us. What you tell us is confidential, and nothing becomes public because you asked a question. If a claim is ever filed, we talk through what that would mean before anything is done, and that decision is always yours.

What does it cost to speak to someone?

Nothing. The call is free, and if a claim goes ahead it is handled on a contingency basis, which means there is no fee unless the claim succeeds.

What if I am not sure what happened counts?

That is the most common reason people call, and it is a good reason to. You will not be asked to prove anything or to justify why you are asking. If there is nothing here, you will be told that plainly.

More questions about sexual abuse claims in New Jersey

If you are still reading

People usually read a page like this several times over several weeks before they contact anyone. That is normal, and there is no deadline on this page trying to push you. When you are ready, the call is free and it stays between you and Joe.

Talk to Joe, free and confidential Call (848) 290-7929

Free, confidential, and no obligation. You decide what happens next, and you can stop at any point.

Free, confidential, and at your pace. This does not create an attorney client relationship.