Maryland Supreme Court Affirms Ending Time Limit in Child Sexual Abuse Claims

Upholding the state’s Child Victims Act allows now-adult victims of alleged abuse to file lawsuits.

David Lorenz, the Maryland director of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), talks to journalists outside the Supreme Court of Maryland in Annapolis on on Sept. 10, 2024. Brian Witte/AP Photo

The Supreme Court of Maryland voted 4–3 this week to uphold the constitutionality of a 2023 state law repealing the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse lawsuits.

A statute of limitations is a legal provision that bars the filing of a legal action after a specified period of time from the date the alleged crime or injury took place.