Allegations of sexual abuse committed by Roman Catholic Church clergy have led to a painful reckoning for Catholics around the world, including those in California. Many of the most disturbing accounts tell of sexual misconduct committed against children by trusted priests, and of church decisions to turn a blind eye to the abuse rather than to address it. In California, survivors of clergy abuse have, among other avenues, resorted to legal action to seek accountability. Roman Catholic diocese across California were identified on the website BishopAccountability.org as homes to parishes where clergy members accused of sexual misconduct once ministered. The diocese identified are: The empathetic, knowledgeable clergy abuse injury lawyers at Hardball Law are standing by ready to help survivors of clergy abuse. Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have about seeking accountability from the church through the courts. Ms. Green offers free consultations and charge no fees if she is unable to recover for you and or your family.
Clergy Abuse Accountability in Maryland Courts
Seeking legal recourse in Maryland courts is one of several ways survivors of clergy abuse can, and do, seek accountability. Ever since widespread allegations of the Catholic Church clergy abuse began to emerge at the beginning of the 2000s, brave survivors have stepped forward to advocate for change and justice within the church and outside of it.
Civil legal action is a powerful tool for achieving those ends. In lawsuit after lawsuit across the country, including Maryland, evidence has come to light demonstrating not only that individual clergy members engaged in repeated acts of sexual abuse, but that the church’s response was to protect itself rather than to protect the vulnerable victims. In many cases, it appears that rather than removing clergy members credibly accused of abuse from contact with parishioners (especially children) and turning them over for prosecution, the church merely reassigned them to other parishes where they victimized others.
Maryland law permits survivors of sexual to sue their abusers and others who enabled abuse for damages and other relief. The law sets fixed time limits on when survivors must file those claims, but the limits vary depending on whether the survivor was a child or an adult when the abuse happened. If a bill recently proposed in the MD Assembly becomes law, those time limits may expand for childhood abuse claims.
Legal Options For Clergy Abuse In Maryland
Survivors of clergy abuse have many reasons for coming forward. One of those is their desire to heal the physical, emotional, spiritual, and even financial wounds inflicted by clergy abuse. To that end, a lawsuit enables survivors to see monetary damages not just from individual clergy members, but also from church institutions that created conditions that made abuse possible.
Another powerful reason survivors take action is to help prevent future clergy abuse. In Maryland, the remedies for clergy abuse can help further that end, also. A litigant may seek punitive damages for intentional misconduct, aimed at punishing and deterring that misconduct in the future. Plaintiffs can also ask Maryland courts to award injunctive relief, which essentially amounts to a court order directing specific actions to prevent future clergy sexual misconduct.
Of course, there are no guarantees in civil litigation. Not all lawsuits succeed. That said, during the past decade-plus, survivors nationwide have obtained a degree of justice and accountability through these actions in the form of substantial monetary damages and proactive relief that will protect the public from clerical abusers.
Maryland Child Victims Act Of 2023
The Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023 eliminates the Maryland statute of limitations on child sex abuse cases, among other changes to the laws that allow adults to pursue justice for the abuse they suffered as a child.
While there have been several changes to these laws through the years, this legislation eliminates the statute of limitations for survivors of childhood sexual abuse who previously could not act because they ran out of time.
The law also increases the liability limit for non-economic damage claims filed against private entities. Supporters argued that survivors live with the psychological pain and suffering of this abuse throughout their lives. The legislation also increases the cap for government agencies responsible for child sexual abuse.
Maryland Clergy Abuse Attorneys
Hardball Law is a Baltimore, Maryland based injury and child sex abuse law firm that has made a commitment to helping survivors of clergy sexual abuse. We invite any survivor who believes he or she may be ready to seek accountability through the Maryland legal process to call us or contact us online to schedule a free, confidential, no-obligation consultation with a member of our legal team.
