Maryland Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

Maryland has made a concerted effort to improve the state’s statute of limitations laws and extend the time allowed for victims to seek civil compensation. Those efforts may be close to paying off as a bill to retroactively remove the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse was just passed in the state senate. These laws enable lawyers handling sexual abuse claims in Maryland to file cases against sexual predators, including clergy members, and the Catholic church.

Below you will find Maryland lawsuits news & updates, as well as additional information on Maryland’s statute of limitations laws. These laws are important because they dictate how long a lawyer handling Maryland sexual assault cases has to file a claim on behalf of a survivor. In addition, we’ve compiled a list of Maryland’s settlements received by sexual abuse and assault survivors and a list of Maryland’s ‘credibly’ accused priests released by the Baltimore Archdiocese.

Maryland Statute of Limitations for Sexual Abuse & Assault

Maryland has already eliminated the criminal SOL for felony and misdemeanor sex crimes. The state senate just passed the Child Victims Act of 2023, which would retroactively eliminate the civil statute of limitations for sexual abuse. This is good news for clergy sexual abuse survivors as it means they could potentially be able to file time-barred claims should the bill become law.

Criminal Statute of Limitations Laws for Maryland

Since 2002, Maryland has had no criminal SOL for felony sex crimes. Child USA, who has evaluated every state based on their criminal statute of limitations laws, gave Maryland a Criminal SOL letter grade of A, on the traditional A-F scale, where A is the best. A letter grade of A is defined as a criminal SOL eliminated for all felonies and misdemeanors.

Civil Statute of Limitations Laws for Maryland

In 2017, Maryland extended its civil SOL to age 38 or 3 years after the defendant is convicted of a crime related to the victim’s abuse. However, a bill to retroactively eliminate the statute of limitations for sexual abuse recently passed in the Maryland senate. Should the bill pass in the House and be signed into law, clergy sexual abuse survivors could potentially have the right to sue even if their claim is currently time-barred.

Child USA, who has also evaluated every state based on their civil statute of limitations laws, gave Maryland a Civil SOL Age Cap letter grade of D, on the traditional A-F scale, where A is the best. A letter grade of D is defined as a civil SOL age cap between 35 and 49 years old for survivors.

If you or someone you love was sexually abused or assaulted in Maryland, contact us now. Based on the potential legislation, those sexually abused as a minor may still have a claim against their abuser, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred. Even if the abuser is deceased, you may still have a claim against the organization responsible. Don’t wait to file your claim!

Go to our main sexual abuse page to learn more about the process of filing a clergy sexual abuse claim.

Maryland Sexual Abuse Settlements & Jury Awards

November 2016 – The Archdiocese of Baltimore reached settlements with several people who claimed they were abused by Rev. A. Joseph Maskell at Archbishop Keough High School decades ago. Maskell died in 2001 and had a large number of sexual abuse accusations against him. Settlement amounts were not released to the public.

January 2017 – The Archdiocese of Baltimore reached a $50,000 settlement with a woman who claimed she was sexually abused years ago when she was a student at Archbishop Keough High School. The victim, Jean Hargadon Wehner, also named Rev. A. Joseph Maskell as her abuser.

The settlements listed above are offered for educational purposes only and do not guarantee any future outcome or settlement. Each legal situation is different, and past performance does not guarantee future results. We do not maintain that is a full list of all settlements in the state of Maryland but merely a grouping of those we choose to share on our website. Please contact us if you would like additional settlements included or if you notice any inaccuracies on our site. We strive to provide our viewers the most up to date and accurate information as possible.

Archdiocese of Baltimore Credibly Accused Priest List

The Archdiocese of Baltimore first released a list of priests in the diocese who were credibly accused of child sexual abuse in 2002. Over the years, the diocese has added more names to the list. The list below was last updated by the Archdiocese in 2019. The list will be updated as litigation or investigations are concluded so that new names of credibly accused priests in Maryland can be added.

Click to view our larger list of accused priests. Here you can search by accused clergy first and last name, Parish/Diocese, city and state, and even by the years of their assignments.

Maryland Sexual Abuse Lawsuits: News & Updates