They’re seeking justice under a new N.J. law. Meet the Philly-area lawyers who are representing hundreds of child sex abuse cases.

When New Jersey relaxed the law in 2019 for child sexual abuse victims to file civil lawsuits against their predators, it opened a floodgate of legal cases.

Hundreds of victims who had been unable to bring a claim against their abusers because the statute of limitations had expired came forward. The new law, the New Jersey Child Victims Act, allowed them to sue their abusers up until they turned 55.

Nearly 600 cases across the state, more than any other firm, have been filed by John Baldante and his associate Daniella Price. Their firm, with offices in Haddonfield and Philadelphia, focuses on civil cases on behalf of child sex abuse victims involving public and private schools and the Roman Catholic Church.

“We’re on the front lines of all of this,” Baldante said in an interview last week. “It’s been a painful wait for these survivors.”

Baldante said his firm shifted gears to handle “an avalanche” of cases that landed in its lap. The firm has the largest inventory of child sexual abuse cases, he said.

It is believed that as many as 2,000 civil cases have been filed since New Jersey carved out an exception to the statute of limitation. Nearly two dozen states have adopted similar laws making it easier for child sexual abuse victims to seek justice in civil courts.

“Those numbers start to get mind-boggling when you think about it,” Baldante said. “I was shocked at how frequently [child sexual abuse] occurs.”

» READ MORE: Hear what Salema Hicks Robinson has to say about the civil sex abuse lawsuit she filed, what she’s lost and how she’s triumphed

Five years after the law was changed, those cases are being resolved either through settlements or jury verdicts. Baldante estimates that his firm has settled about two dozen cases, with a typical average of about $2.5 million to $3 million, and several hundred cases are pending.

The settlements provide support for the abuse survivors and send a strong message to organizations that harbor predators that “they can’t cover it up and expect to get away with it,” said Marci Hamilton, founder and CEO of Child USA and a child sexual abuse expert.

Baldante believes about 100 similar cases have been settled by other firms. Some cases involving private entities are settled with a nondisclosure agreement, but public school districts must disclose such agreements.

Jeffrey P. Fritz, a sexual abuse attorney who has been representing clients under the new law, said the civil lawsuits offer a measure of justice to victims who may have no other recourse. He has several cases pending against the Cherry Hill school district.

“There are tons more out there,” Fritz said.

Fritz reached a $2 million settlement in June with the Camden school district and its former advisory board president Wasim Muhammad, who was when he was her teacher in 1994 and Robinson was 14accused of sexually abusing Salema Robinson starting in 1994 when she was his former student. She also filed suit under the new law.

In what is believed to be the largest settlement of those cases filed under the new law, Baldante and Price negotiated a $30 million settlement in September on behalf of five young women who alleged sexual abuse by their instructor at a North Jersey ballet school.

“These numbers set the new standard of what these cases are really worth,” Baldante said. “There has to be accountability.”

According to court documents, the alleged abuse by Eugene Petrov lasted for years and occurred at the now-closed Petrov Ballet School in Bergen County beginning in 2011 when the women were teenagers. Petrov was the school’s founder and artistic director.

Several girls had ambitions to become professional ballet dancers, and Petrov offered them extra attention to help them achieve their dreams, records said. Their lawsuits, filed separately in 2021, alleged that Petrov groomed the girls and then sexually abused them.

Under a consent judgment, Petrov will not be held personally liable, and the plaintiffs agreed not to seek any amount from him, according to the document. Petrov has not admitted any wrongdoing and no criminal charges have been filed. His attorney, David Jay Glassman of Marlton, did not return a message to his office.

But Baldante plans to file a bad-faith lawsuit against the ballet school’s insurance company to collect the $30 million settlement. The insurance carrier has denied any liability, arguing that the abuse alleged was not covered by its coverage.

» READ MORE: Civil trial set to begin for Camden school board advisory president accused of sexually abusing his former student

It could take several years to resolve the case, Baldante said. But his clients are satisfied with the current outcome because the ballet school has been closed, and they have started to move on with their lives, he said.

“It is a huge responsibility, to know that I had a hand in someone’s healing,” said Price, his partner. “It’s very meaningful.”

It is estimated that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys in New Jersey experience some form of sexual abuse before age 18. But most of the abuse goes unreported, according to Hamilton, of Child USA.

Victims are often unable to disclose the trauma they experienced until an older age, usually between 40 and 55, Hamilton said. Previously, New Jersey required child victims to file a civil action by age 20. A bill that would have implemented similar changes in Pennsylvania stalled.

All five women decided to use their names in the lawsuit against Petrov, but The Inquirer does not identify victims in sexual assault cases without their consent. Two of the women, Cristina Tummillo and Elizabeth Flynn, wanted to share their stories to encourage other sex abuse victims to consider coming forward.

“We applaud these girls for being so brave,” Baldante said.

Tummillo began attending ballet lessons when she was 5. Her father offered volunteer carpentry work at the Petrov Ballet school, and her teacher, Eugene, was a trusted family friend.

When she was around 16 in 2011, Tummillo said Petrov gained her trust by pretending to serve as a mentor. She put in extra hours on the weekends and stayed late to pursue her dream to become a professional dancer. Then, according to the lawsuit, the alleged sexual abuse began, with him embracing and fondling her, and Petrov masturbating in front of her, and continued for seven years.

Tummillo said she kept in touch with the other dancers after she graduated from high school, and during visits to the ballet school, she saw disturbing signs that made her believe other girls had been sexually abused.

“I just started to put the pieces together,” said Tummillo.

Tummillo, now 29 and an office manager, and Flynn, were the first to decide to file a lawsuit, and the others followed. As a result, the ballet school was shut down.

“I’m so very glad that I did it. The outcome is worth it,” she said. “It was the right thing to do.”

As a teenager, Flynn spent every free moment at her ballet school. It was her life.

“I loved dancing. It was so fun,” she said.

And then it wasn’t. She said the sexual abuse began when she was 15 and lasted for three years. She didn’t tell anyone, partly out of shame and embarrassment.

“I didn’t want anyone to know about it,” said Flynn, now 24.

Eventually, Flynn confided in her parents. She also spoke with Tummillo and wanted “to come forward to share my story.” According to the complaint, Petrov abused her on more than 100 occasions, and she was conditioned to believe the behavior was normal.

Flynn said her bravery was embraced by her family and friends.

“I think it was important to know you’re not alone. It’s not your fault,” she said.