aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Congratulations Larry

Larry Lessig is back from vacation. He came back to good news. His pro bono client won his case.

A state law protecting nonprofit organizations from negligence lawsuits does not apply to all sex abuse cases, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

The ruling allows John W. Hardwicke Jr. to continue his lawsuit against the American Boychoir School in Princeton. Hardwicke alleges that he was repeatedly molested by the school’s music director and three other employees from 1969-1971, when he attended the school.

In its 5-1 ruling, the court reasoned that the state’s Charitable Immunity Act protects charities from negligence claims only, not from claims that are based on “willful, wanton or grossly negligent conduct.”

Important and disturbing context here.