Maryland Child Victims Act

The Maryland Child Victims Act is a law in the U.S. state of Maryland passed by the Maryland General Assembly during the 445th legislative session in 2023 and signed into law by Governor Wes Moore. It retroactively and prospectively repeals the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse lawsuits and raises the liability limits for a single plaintiff for claims against private institutions. Its first version was introduced by former Democratic state senator James Brochin in 2007. Iterations of the proposal were put forth during the 425th, 435th, 436th, 437th, 439th, 441st, 442nd, and 445th legislative sessions.

In February 2019, after the Pennsylvania Attorney General released a report into the grand jury investigation of Catholic Church sexual abuse in Pennsylvania, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh launched an investigation into sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The final report was released in November 2022, identifying 600 victims of sexual abuse and accusing 158 Catholic priests of sexual abuse. The Child Victims Act was reintroduced to the General Assembly, with provisions raising the liability limits for a single plaintiff against private institutions to $1.5 million. The bill passed both chambers with overwhelming support and was signed into law by Governor Moore on April 11, 2023.

The Child Victims Act was subject to legal challenges by the Archdiocese of Washington, which argued that the law was unconstitutional because of the statute of repose passed by the General Assembly in 2017. The Supreme Court of Maryland ruled in February 2025 that the Child Victims Act superseded the 2017 law and was constitutional. In 2025, after state budget analysts found that the law could have significant fiscal impacts on the state, the General Assembly passed a bill lowering plaintiff's liability limits and signed into law by Governor Moore.