By Megan Sayles
AFRO Business Writer
msayles@afro.com
The Maryland House of Delegates passed a new bill that would cap the state’s financial liability for child sexual abuse claims filed against the state and its agencies.The bill is now in the hands of the Maryland Senate as the 2025 legislative session is set to end on April 7.
Introduced by Del. C.T. Wilson of District 28, House Bill (HB) 1378 would scale back the Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023, which eliminated the statute of limitations for lawsuits regarding child sexual abuse.
Lawyers representing nearly 3,200 survivors of these crimes believe the bill would stifle accountability and justice.
“When they passed the Child Victims Act in 2023, I believe it was some of the most significant legislation to address decades-long pain and suffering from sexual abuse of children,” said Ben Crump, renowned civil rights attorney and owner of Ben Crump Law. “What’s being proposed is inappropriate and unacceptable because this is not just a human rights issue—it’s a civil rights issue. Over 90 percent of the victims are African American.”
The Child Victims Act of 2023, which was also sponsored by Wilson, increased the maximum payout for claims against public school boards and government entities to $890,000 per incident of abuse. The new draft of HB 1378 would limit damages to $400,000 for victims who file suits after June 1, 2025. Claims against private institutions, like churches or private schools, would also be capped at $700,000 after June 1, instead of the current $1.5 million.
It would also prevent survivors from claiming damages for each instance of abuse. Compensation would instead be based on the individual no matter how many times they allege they’ve been abused.
One agency that is facing a number of claims is the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, according to Crump.
“The $400,000 ceiling is inadequate when you think about these African-American men and women who had their innocence stolen from them when they were boys and girls within the custody and care of Maryland juvenile detention facilities. Some of the girls were impregnated while they were raped by the guards and staff who were employed by these facilities,” said Crump. “Just imagine if you’re a child and you were raped, in some cases, a dozen times, and they tell you the most you can get for your trauma is $400,000. It begs the question, can these victims ever get equal justice?”
The rollback comes at a time when the state of Maryland is facing a $3 billion budget deficit. With the thousands of the claims the state faces, the Child Victims Act of 2023 in its current state could create an enormous financial burden for Maryland.
Wilson, a victim of childhood sexual abuse himself, testified at a Maryland Judiciary Committee hearing for his new bill on March 26. He said his battle to support survivors has never been about financial gain. Instead, it’s centered on truth, justice and restoring the dignity of survivors.
“We are not a private corporation. We do not have endless reserves, nor can we shift costs to the shareholders. We must maintain a responsible budget, while safeguarding the essential services that millions of people depend upon, including education, public safety and health care,” said Wilson during the hearing. “Without this legislation the potential exposure could spiral into the billions—the tens of billions—crippling local governments and essential services.”
The Legislature’s 2025 legislative session will end on April 7. This means the Maryland Senate has just three days to pass HB 1378.
The post Maryland faces pressure over new bill to limit state liability in child sex abuse cases appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
