Offenses against children drive up legal costs for New Jersey

New Jersey state government paid almost $190M to settle nearly 375 lawsuits in 2025 for civil rights abuses, public transit incidents, and more.

By: Dana DiFilippo

Outlets: New Jersey Monitor

Published: July 22, 2026

Words: 1,912

Last Updated: 4 weeks, 1 day ago

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In Trenton, child welfare workers left 5-year-old Diamond Smith in an abusive home, and her father beat her to death. In New Brunswick, a doctor who operated on an infant to remove a diseased kidney accidentally removed her healthy kidney too, leaving the child in need of medical care for life. And in foster homes and youth jails around the state, babies and children endured horrific sexual abuse.

The state paid more than …

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