Maryland Supreme Court upholds law ending statute of limitations on child sex abuse lawsuits

The Maryland Supreme Court this week found that the state Child Victims Act (CVA) of 2023 did not violate the state constitution, allowing victims to file civil lawsuits against alleged abusers — including Catholic officials — regardless of when the abuse occurred.

The high court this week upheld the 2023 law, which had abolished a 20-year statute of limitations for civil child abuse suits, ruling against three plaintiffs including the archbishop of Washington, D.C.

The 2023 law, which passed the state Legislature that year with near-unanimous support and was signed by state Gov. Wes Moore, effectively repealed a “statute of repose” that had been established in 2017 and that limited the timeline for filing child abuse claims in the state to 20 years after the alleged victim became an adult.

A statute of repose is similar to a statute of limitations, though it is usually stricter in enforcing a timeline by which individuals can bring lawsuits.

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