Advocates call for transparency as Maryland sex abuse survivors face deadline to avoid compensation limits
Survivors of child sex abuse in Maryland must file their lawsuits by May 31 if they want to avoid a new law that limits the amount of compensation a person can receive under the Child Victims Act.
The revisions to the Child Victims Act, signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore in April, limit the financial compensation to $400,000 for abuse claims involving public institutions and $700,000 for claims against private institutions.
Initially, the Child Victims Act allowed for compensation of $890,000 for claims against public institutions and $1.5 million for claims against private institutions.
The compensation limits will apply to any claims filed on or after June 1, 2025.
Advocates, survivors call for transparency
As the deadline to avoid the cap on compensation nears, members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and other advocates are hoping for increased transparency.
SNAP held a news conference in Baltimore on Wednesday to bring more attention to the deadline.
According to SNAP leaders, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court has lifted a pause on lawsuits from survivors to allow for them to be filed in a timely manner. However, even if a lawsuit is filed in bankruptcy court, a civil lawsuit also needs to be filed by the May 31 deadline.
The group also called out the Archdiocese of Baltimore for invoking a charitable immunity doctrine, a rule that protects some organizations from civil lawsuits if they do not have insurance that covers the claims.
Archdiocese of Baltimore accused of avoiding compensation responsibilities
SNAP is not the first to criticize the Baltimore Archdiocese's use of the charitable immunity doctrine.
A recent lawsuit filed on behalf of child sex abuse survivors claims that the Archdiocese of Baltimore is attempting to avoid its responsibility of compensating victims by invoking the doctrine.
After the Child Victims Act was enacted in Maryland, more than 1,000 claims were filed against the church, alleging it was liable for sexual abuse cases, according to the lawsuit.
The church filed for bankruptcy days before the act went into effect.
The lawsuit filed by survivors asks a judge to decide if the Archdiocese of Baltimore can use the charitable immunity measure despite its bankruptcy filing.
Other Maryland institutions face child sex abuse lawsuits
The Catholic Church hasn't been the only institution involved with sexual abuse lawsuits.
In April, more than 80 lawsuits were filed, alleging repeated abuse at one of 12 state juvenile detention facilities.
According to New York-based firm Levy Konigsberg, there have been 650 lawsuits that exposed cases of abuse at Maryland juvenile detention centers between the 1970s and 2018.
An audit released Tuesday found that the Department of Juvenile Services did not conduct thorough background checks for contractors who were providing youth care services.
