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

A1404

ASSEMBLY, No. 1404

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman ELLEN J. PARK

District 37 (Bergen)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson

SYNOPSIS

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

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

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.��