The Archdiocese of Washington is seeking to overturn the Maryland law that allows survivors of child sex abuse to bring forward claims no matter when the abuse happened, the News4 I-Team learned.
Depending how courts decide, the Child Victims Act could affect survivors of abuse across the state, and not just those abused in church.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore said it expected the law to be challenged, and the Washington Archdiocese is doing just that with a motion to dismiss a class action lawsuit brought against it this fall.
The Washington Archdiocese is headquartered in Maryland, which is why it could be sued in Prince George's County.
The move came about a month after the Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for bankruptcy in anticipation of potentially hundreds of church abuse survivors filing civil claims against it under the Maryland law.
The Catholic Church fought the legislation since it was first proposed.
"The church has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to try to block this legislation from moving forward for the last 10 years, yet they preach something that they won't practice, so I'm very disappointed,” said Maryland Del. CT Wilson, D-District 28, who sponsored the bill. “It's not a surprise, because I've seen the lengths that they go to to try and keep this quiet."
In its court filings, attorneys for the Archdiocese of Washington argued the Child Victims Act violates a 2017 law passed on this issue, writing, “In sum, when the statute of limitations expired on plaintiffs’ claims long ago, the archdiocese acquired a right to be free from those ancient claims."
In a statement, the archdiocese said, “The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is asserting its legal defenses in the cases filed against it. We remain committed, however, to our longstanding efforts to bring healing to survivors through pastoral care and other forms of assistance that are available apart from the legal process. We are also committed to maintaining our robust safe environment policies that have been in place for decades to ensure the protection of all those who are entrusted to our care.”
The leading plaintiffs’ attorney who filed the class action lawsuit said he will respond to the church's motion and hopes the attorney general and others will help defend the statute.
“As I advised the General Assembly during the 2023 session, I can, in good faith, defend the constitutionality of the Child Victims Act, pursuant to the authorities and opportunities presented under Maryland law, and will do so,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement to News4.
Attorneys representing what's called the “survivors committee” in the Baltimore Archdiocese case said that it's too early to tell how this challenge will impact the bankruptcy court proceeding but that this challenge no doubt injects "uncertainty" in the process.
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