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Maryland’s Child Victims Act eliminated the civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse entirely — survivors can bring claims regardless of when the abuse occurred, and the Supreme Court of Maryland upheld the law in February 2025. The Archdiocese of Baltimore is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, where the court’s claims deadline was May 31, 2024. If you have not yet come forward, a free, confidential review can explain where things stand.
Deadlines are state-specific and change often. Even if you think a window has passed, it is worth confirming — exceptions can apply. A free, confidential review can tell you where you stand.
The record
Key Facts
Fact 01
156 abusers named
Source: Maryland Attorney General report, April 2023
Fact 02
600+ victims documented
Source: Maryland Attorney General report, April 2023
Fact 03
463-page investigative report
Source: Office of the Maryland Attorney General
Fact 04
700+ bankruptcy claims filed
Source: Archdiocese of Baltimore Chapter 11, deadline May 31, 2024
What is documented
The Allegations
The full account
The Record
In April 2023 the Office of the Maryland Attorney General released a 463-page report on child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. After a four-year investigation, it named 156 clergy and others as abusers and documented more than 600 victims, with the earliest reports dating to the 1940s.
Days before the report, Maryland enacted the Child Victims Act of 2023, signed by Governor Wes Moore on April 11, 2023. The law retroactively and prospectively eliminated the civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse. In a 4-3 decision on February 3, 2025, the Supreme Court of Maryland upheld the Act as constitutional.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 29, 2023, days before the law took effect. More than 700 claims were filed ahead of the bankruptcy court’s May 31, 2024 deadline.
Sources & attribution