A state judge is ordering Seton Hall University to turn over a trove of documents connected to a 2019 investigation into clergy abuse, a victory for survivors who’ve spent years in court seeking accountability.
The order by Superior Court Judge Avion Benjamin stems from reporting by POLITICO that Seton Hall’s president, Monsignor Joseph Reilly, did not properly report allegations of sexual misconduct when he was a seminary leader.
Benjamin has been overseeing litigation on about 450 claims of clergy abuse within the Archdiocese of Newark and at Seton Hall but expressed disbelief earlier this year when attorneys for the plaintiffs learned about the 2019 investigation, saying “they had to find out about it in 2025 in POLITICO.” In March, Benjamin determined that Seton Hall violated a previous court order by not disclosing those documents…