This article was republished with permission from 海角精品黑料’s news partners at .聽Sign up for today.
This content was republished with permission from 海角精品黑料鈥檚 news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for聽听迟辞诲补测.
As each Maryland senator with the Judicial Proceedings Committee cast their yes vote, David Lorenz cried and embraced his wife, Judy.
That鈥檚 because the committee voted 10-1 on Friday to advance a bill that would retroactively, as well as prospectively, repeal statutes of limitation on lawsuits by plaintiffs who claim they suffered child sexual abuse.
Lorenz, who pushed to get this legislation passed for 15 years, suffered abuse as a teenager when he attended a private school in Kentucky.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 get benefit from this bill one bit because my abuse took place in Kentucky. I have watched people come up here and testify. I know three of them who鈥assed away,鈥� said Lorenz, the Maryland director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, also called SNAP. 鈥淭his will give survivors, vindication, validation, they get to tell their story.鈥�
聽sponsored by Sen. William C. Smith Jr. (D-Montgomery), who chairs the committee, would allow a victim to file a suit 鈥渁t any time.鈥� A few amendments were approved Thursday that include a liability cap at $890,000 against public institutions such as school boards, which was originally $850,000 in the bill. Smith said the changed was made to confirm with police reform legislation passed two years ago.
The liability limit for a single plaintiff increases to $1.5 million for claims against private institutions for non-economic damages such as pain and suffering. An amendment approved Thursday, Smith said, removes the cap for economic damages like therapy or medical treatment.
Lorenz and other advocates praised Smith and Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles), who pushed legislation in the House of Delegates for several years, for sponsoring the bills on behalf of survivors.
鈥淔irst, thank C.T. Wilson because he鈥檚 been working with me on this. He鈥檚 been leading this effort for years,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad we鈥檙e able to provide this as a chance for access to justice for the survivors that have been denied so far.鈥�
Smith said the bill could come to the Senate floor for debate early next week.
Legislation first passed in 2017 to increase the age limit by which victims of child sexual abuse needed to file claims from 25 to 38.
However, lawmakers have debated since 2019 whether it would be unconstitutional to repeal a statute of repose, which had been included in the law passed two years prior.
Kathleen Hoke, a University of Maryland professor who explained the legal concept of a statute of repose to lawmakers聽, hugged and cried with Lorenz and other supporters and survivors in the committee lobby Friday.
鈥淚 think the overarching thing is nobody even understood what a statute of repose even was, how there could even be one in cases of child sexual assault,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know that I shocked them, instead, maybe brought them to a level of comfort that they understand now. [Lawmakers] didn鈥檛 have to figure out the constitutional question. They just need to do what they thought was right from a public policy perspective.鈥�
Sen. Chris West (R-Baltimore County) was the only senator on the committee to vote against the bill.
鈥淚鈥檓 absolutely convinced that this bill is unconstitutional and will be so held by the Maryland Supreme Court,鈥� he said.
In an聽聽last month, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) wrote that he can 鈥渋n good faith defend the legislation should it be challenged in court.鈥�
On Friday afternoon, the Maryland Catholic Conference released a statement that it continues to oppose the legislation it calls 鈥渦nconstitutional and unfair in its disparate treatment of victims of abuse.鈥�
The conference noted that the Catholic Church in Maryland has provided millions of dollars in therapeutic counseling and direct financial payments to 鈥渧ictim-survivors.鈥�
鈥淭he draconian provision of an unlimited window for currently time-barred civil cases to be filed, regardless of when they occurred, is nearly unprecedented among similar laws passed in other states,鈥� according to the conference. 鈥淭he legislation creates blatant disparity in its treatment of victims, with much lower monetary judgements available to victims of abuse in public institutions than those of abuse in private settings.鈥�
The bill is being considered as the attorney general鈥檚 office聽聽from a grand jury that found 600 victims of clergy sexual abuse in the state.
As for the聽聽of the bill, Wilson said it remains in the Judiciary Committee. He remains confident it will receive support by his House colleagues.
The House passed versions of Wilson鈥檚 legislation twice in the past several years but the measure has stalled in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.
鈥淭he House has been fine because the House is not a stalling point,鈥� said Wilson, who鈥檚 been personally affected by child sexual abuse. 鈥淚 hope that some way my pain and suffering helps others. I know when you come up here, the goal isn鈥檛 to be a king it鈥檚 to be a voice. I know a lot of folks feel they never have a voice, so I want them to know they鈥檙e not alone.鈥�
