SENATE, No. 4243

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED MARCH 3, 2025

 

 

Sponsored by:

Senator  ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT

District 31 (Hudson)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Renders contracts to provide criminal assistance unlawful; creates civil right of action for victims of certain criminal conduct.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

  

An Act concerning certain contracts and supplementing Title 2A of the New Jersey Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a.  For purposes of this act, "renders criminal assistance" means an act a person or private entity commits with the intent to prevent, hinder, or delay the discovery or apprehension of an alleged offender who such person or private entity knows or believes has committed a crime or is being sought by law enforcement for the commission of a crime, the person or entity commits any act of concealment, alteration, or destruction of any physical evidence which might aid in the discovery or apprehension of the alleged offender in exchange for money or non-monetary compensation.  "Private entity" means any individual, corporation, company, partnership, firm, association, or other entity, other than a public entity. 

     b.    Every undertaking or promise, whether written or oral, express or implied, constituting or contained, in any contract or agreement to render criminal assistance between any individual or private entity, is declared to be contrary to public policy and void.

     c.     A victim of a crime, who was the subject of an undertaking or promise constituting or contained in any contract or agreement to render criminal assistance between any individual or private entity, may bring a civil action in any court of competent jurisdiction against such individual or private entity.

     d.    The cause of action under this section shall be independent of and supplemental to any other right or remedy for any violation or conduct provided for in any other law, and nothing contained herein shall be construed to diminish or to abrogate any such right or remedy.

     e.     A cause of action under this section shall be commenced not later than five years from the date a crime victim discovers, or reasonably should have discovered, such concealment of a crime by either a person or a private entity.

 

     2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill renders void certain agreements, and creates a statutory right of action for certain crime victims. 

     Under the bill, an act of concealment, alteration, or destruction of evidence that is intended to thwart law enforcement detection of an alleged offender in exchange for money or non-monetary compensation is defined as rendering criminal assistance.  The agreement itself, whether written or oral, express or implied, is rendered void.  Moreover, the victim of the crime is granted a private right of action against the person or private entity who entered into the agreement.

     Under the bill, a person or private entity "renders criminal assistance" when, with the intent to prevent, hinder, or delay the discovery or apprehension of an alleged offender who such person or private entity knows or believes has committed a crime or is being sought by law enforcement for the commission of a crime, commits any act of concealment, alteration, or destruction of any physical evidence which might aid in the discovery or apprehension of the alleged offender in exchange for money or non-monetary compensation. 

     This bill is based on legislation pending in the New York Legislature known as "Cassie's Law."