Brown, Goldstein & Levy partner Andy Freeman was quoted in a recent article by the Baltimore Sun entitled, “Survivor groups slam Maryland Catholic Church statement on statute of limitations reform for failing to serve past victims.” The article comes after the Maryland Catholic Conference, the lobbying arm of the Catholic Church in Maryland, misleadingly said the church will support legislation that may be introduced during the 2023 Maryland General Assembly session that prospectively eliminates the statute of limitations in civil lawsuits involving cases of child sexual abuse. The church’s statement omits any reference to the church’s continued opposition to allowing adults who were the victims of abuse in the past to seek compensation if their claims have been barred by previous statutes of limitations.
As survivor groups point out, while the church’s statement implies support of the Child Victims’ Act, the statement does not say the church will support that bill as it stands. To the contrary, the Catholic conference asserted that it believes that it would be unconstitutional to retroactively revive claims that are currently time-barred in Maryland.
Survivors’ attorneys and advocates, however, point to rulings in numerous states that have permitted the revival of previously time-barred claims.
“At least 15 other states, including California, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, have all revived past cases. Challenges claiming that these look-back windows are unconstitutional have mostly failed,” said Andy Freeman, who represents victims of child sexual abuse.
In November 2022, the Office of the Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh completed a report detailing decades of rampant sexual abuse within the Archdiocese of Baltimore following a four-year long investigation. The investigation found that Catholic priests and officials assigned to parishes across the region abused more than 600 boys and girls—whose ages ranged from preschoolers to young adults—over the past 80 years, which the church mostly concealed.
Along with Andy, Anthony May is also part of the BGL team fighting for long overdue justice for survivors and accountability for perpetrators.
Read the full Baltimore Sun article here.
LEARN MORE ABOUT ANDY FREEMAN
Andy Freeman obtains justice for his clients. He has won numerous verdicts, judgments, and settlements of millions, tens of millions, and in one case over a billion dollars by mastering the relevant law and getting to know his clients, their problems, and the evidence in their cases. In one case, Andy won a verdict of $15 million for a survivor of child sexual abuse. In another, he secured a $1 million verdict in a counter-suit on behalf of a girl who was sexually abused by a lawyer, after the lawyer-abuser sued for defamation—a result that was recognized by the National Law Journal as one of the “Top Wins of 2000.” Andy has long been a tenacious advocate for the wellbeing of children, both inside and outside of court. He has served as a board member and board president of the Family Tree (formerly the Child Abuse Prevention Center of Maryland) and of the Family League of Baltimore City, and as a board member for Safe and Sound: Baltimore’s Campaign for Children, Youth and Families. Andy was also a volunteer with the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Baltimore, a nonprofit that fights for the best interests of abused and neglected children involved in Baltimore’s foster care system, which awarded him multiple CASA Recognition Awards, and he and his wife (the former Executive Director of the Baltimore Child Abuse Center) were Baltimore City foster parents.
LEARN MORE ABOUT ANTHONY MAY
Anthony May has represented clients in a variety of complex litigation matters including assisting employees with disabilities in obtaining accessible technology and accommodations in the workplace, representing individuals who have been wrongfully convicted, commercial litigation disputes, and fighting workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. He is a passionate and skillful litigator who tirelessly pursues justice for vulnerable individuals. Recently, Anthony helped obtain a federal district court victory on behalf of a married gay employee who challenged Catholic Relief Services’ withdrawal of health insurance benefits for his husband as a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Equal Pay Act, and the Maryland Equal Pay Act.