BALTIMORE (MD)
Washington Times [Washington, D.C.]
May 30, 2024
By Mark A. Kellner
Midnight Friday is the deadline for sexual abuse victims to add their names to the estimated 485 claims already filed against the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore in bankruptcy court.
The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy protection last year on Sept. 29, less than 48 hours before the state’s Child Victims Act, removing the statute of limitations for suing over abuse claims, took effect.
At the time, Baltimore Archbishop William Lori said the move was the best way for the church to treat survivors equitably without the risk of massive jury awards that would leave “the vast majority of victim-survivors without compensation.”
Last year, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown released a report that identified more than 150 priests, deacons, teachers and seminarians in the Archdiocese who were accused of assaulting more than 600 victims, going back to the 1940s.
While the bankruptcy filing mooted claims under the legislation, the bankruptcy court handling the Archdiocese’s case established the May 31 deadline to file “proofs of claim for sexual abuse.” Failure to file a claim before the deadline might forfeit the right to assert a claim later, a notice said.
According to a report by The Baltimore Banner, more than 485 claims have already been filed and one victim’s rights attorney estimated between 500 and 1,000 claims will be filed by the deadline.
Christian Kendzierski, spokesman for the Archdiocese, told the outlet the deadline “does not end the moral obligation of the Archdiocese and it will continue to respond compassionately to those harmed.”
The Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., which has responsibility for Catholic churches and institutions in five Maryland counties and is headquartered in Hyattsville, did not declare bankruptcy before the Child Victims Act took effect and is the subject of a 2023 lawsuit from three victims that it has asked a court to dismiss.
• Mark A. Kellner can be reached at mkellner@washingtontimes.com.