Maryland
Maryland bill aims to limit settlement money for victims of abuse in juvenile detention centers
A new Maryland bill aims to limit settlement money for victims of abuse in juvenile detention facilities.
At a House Judiciary hearing, fueled with passion on all sides, state lawmakers debated ways to strike a balance between properly compensating victims of alleged childhood sexual abuse in the Maryland Juvenile Justice System without bankrupting the state.
In 2023, the Child Victims Act, which removed the statute of limitations and allowed victims to receive up to $890,000 per occurrence of abuse, was made a law/.
Since then, 4,500 victims have filed claims, potentially putting the state on the hook for billions of dollars.
Co-council Adam Slater says there is only one proper solution.
“This bill is unacceptable and the government of Maryland must sit down with the survivors and come up with a mutually agreeable and acceptable solution, not one imposed on them,” Slater said.
The amendments still need to pass the Maryland House and Senate and be signed by Gov. Wes Moore before the end of the session on April 7.
If passed, these amendments would take effect on October 1, 2025.
For the proposed bill
Democratic Delegate CT Wilson, a victim of childhood sexual abuse, introduced amendments to House Bill 1378, which would lower the payout cap for each claimant to $400,000.
It would also require an alternative dispute resolution process to promise transparency in these payouts.
“I wanted to make sure that whatever we do today, we don’t so irreparably damage our state, that we must go to bankruptcy,” Wilson said. “Because while the victims do need an opportunity to speak and they do need to come up in financial support, billions and billions of dollars is not what we can afford to do.”
Opposing the proposed bill
Opponents, including national civil rights attorney Ben Crump, say these amendments revictimize those who were sexually abused.
“That’s not equal justice, that’s a shame, before God to tell that person who has lived with this all their life that you don’t have their day in court, and by the way, you can only get up to $400,000,” Crump said.
Antoine Harris, who is one of the alleged victims, said he was sexually abused during his childhood at the hands of the state. He also said he was conceived after his mother was allegedly raped at 17 years old by a speech therapist at the Montrose juvenile training facility Montrose.
“I believe that we don’t have to pay everybody at once; it can be spread out over time,” Harris said. “This has been many years that we’ve been waiting for justice. So, to expect the state to pay it out all at once, that’s not what I think is necessarily appropriate. The state is in a financial crisis, so the state can take time to pay us.”
Rally for alleged sexual abuse victims
On March 19, the alleged victims of sexual abuse in Maryland juvenile detention facilities rallied near Baltimore’s City Hall, calling for the state to be held accountable.
Alleged victims shared their stories of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse at the hands of staff within the juvenile justice system.
“How many more survivors need to come forward before the state finally takes responsibility? How many more children have to suffer before a change is made?” an alleged victim said.
A statement from the Department of Juvenile Services reads, “DJS takes allegations of sexual abuse of children in our care with utmost seriousness…. DJS notes that all the claims brought under the Maryland Child Victims Act involve allegations from many decades ago. Beyond that, DJS will not comment on this pending litigation.”
Lawsuits under Child Victims Act
After the Child Victims Act became a law, hundreds of lawsuits were filed over sexual abuse claims against the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which spanned nearly 80 years.
In April 2023, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office released a 450-page report that identified 156 priests, deacons, Catholic teachers and seminarians within the Archdiocese accused of abusing more than 600 victims. The incidents detailed in the report date back to the 1940s.
“The state is not above the law,” said Jerry Block, a lawyer for sexual abuse survivors. “The state is just as accountable as the Catholic church or any other institution that perpetrated sexual abuse.”
Recently, more than a dozen former students at McDonogh School, a Baltimore County private school, came forward in a new complaint, alleging they were sexually abused.
The alleged victims claim to have suffered sexual abuse by former dean Alvin Levy, former Spanish teacher Robert Creed, and two more faculty members while attending the school between the 1960s and 1980s.
WJZ previously highlighted one of four lawsuits against McDonogh, claiming the school was aware of the abuse and failed to protect students.
The lawsuit details the former student’s account of being sexually assaulted several times by former dean Levy when he was 10 years old.
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A Maryland expungement clinic is helping residents take a critical step in clearing their criminal records.
Loyola University hosted its latest expungement clinic, in partnership with Maryland Legal Aid, to provide free legal assistance to those looking to clear eligible charges from their records.
“I’ve just always been an advocate for representation, advocacy, and that’s something that I’ve always been passionate about,” said Loyola pre-law student Ebahi Adubor.
This was the seventh expungement clinic hosted by Loyola and Maryland Legal Aid.
So far, more than 230 petitions have been filed through this partnership.
“I know that when I’m a lawyer, pro bono work is something that I see myself doing, and I find it special to have this opportunity now,” Adubor said.
What happens at an expungement clinic?
At the expungement clinic, volunteer attorneys help participants review their records and file petitions on-site.
Lucy Mac Gabhann, one of the legal professionals assisting at the clinic, says clearing a record can transform lives.
“Somebody can clear their record, they can get a better apartment, living situation, they can get a better job,” Gabhann said. “It really just opens up doors. It’s often not just a change for one person, but for a family and a community.”
Are you eligible for expungement?
According to the Maryland Courts, to be eligible for expungement, you must have completed your sentence or punishments. Expungement of certain misdemeanor convictions can be filed after five years, while certain felony convictions can be filed after seven years.
Here’s a list of what is eligible for expungement.
Seeking a second chance
Those looking to wipe out a stain on their criminal record say this expungement clinic gives them a second chance.
“By no means does it define me,” said Clayton, who attended the clinic. “That was like 17 years ago. I don’t want people looking back on my previous experiences in life and judging me today.”
Wayne Williams, who also attended the expungement clinic, said his past mistake has blocked him from advancements in life.
“it’s been blocking me from doing things that I might want to do,” Williams said. “Your record is essential.”
Maryland’s Kevin Willard accepted Villanova’s offer to become the program’s next head coach, sources confirmed to ESPN, ending more than a week of speculation.
An official announcement could come as early as Sunday.
Maryland just completed one of its best seasons in the past 20 years, earning a 4-seed in the NCAA tournament and making a run to the Sweet 16 before falling to top-seeded Florida. The Terrapins finished 27-9 overall and 14-6 in the Big Ten and were ranked in the top 10 in most predictive metrics. After a 1-3 start to Big Ten play, Maryland lost just four games to Big Ten opponents the rest of the season by a combined nine points.
Willard spent three seasons in College Park, going 65-39 with two NCAA tournament appearances.
He made headlines before Maryland’s first-round NCAA tournament game against Grand Canyon when he essentially broke the news of Maryland athletic director Damon Evans leaving for SMU and explained why he hasn’t signed a new contract in College Park.
“I need to make fundamental changes to the program,” Willard said. “That’s what I’m focused on right now. That’s why probably a deal hasn’t got done because I want to see — I need to see fundamental changes done. I want this program to be great. I want it to be the best in the country, I want to win a national championship, but there’s things that need to change.
“I need to make sure that we are where we are with NIL, and rev share is not where we’ve been with NIL over the past two years. We’ve been one of the worst, if not lowest, in the NIL in the last two years. So, that’s first and foremost. I also have to make a fundamental change where I can do the things that I want to do with my program. I wanted to spend an extra night in New York this year to celebrate Christmas with my team and I was told that we can’t do that because it’s too expensive. So, I don’t know how we can be a top-tier program and I can’t spend one extra night in New York because it’s too expensive.”
As Maryland knocked off Grand Canyon and Colorado State to advance to Willard’s first Sweet 16 and the first for the Terps since 2016, the head coach’s message didn’t change. He acknowledged after Maryland’s Sweet 16 loss to Florida on Thursday that he didn’t know his next step.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Willard said. “I’ll be honest with you. I haven’t talked to my agent. I haven’t talked to my wife.”
At Villanova, Willard will replace Kyle Neptune, who failed to reach the NCAA tournament in any of his three seasons in charge of the Wildcats. Neptune took over in 2022 after the sudden retirement of Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright, who led Villanova to two national championships and four Final Four appearances.
It marks a return to the Big East for Willard, a Long Island, New York, native who spent 12 seasons as the head coach at Seton Hall. He led the Pirates to five NCAA tournament appearances and a share of the Big East regular-season title in 2020 — when the program was on track for its highest NCAA tournament seed in nearly 30 years before the tournament was canceled due to the pandemic.
Before taking over at Seton Hall, Willard was the head coach at Iona for three seasons and an assistant coach under Rick Pitino at Louisville and with the Boston Celtics. Willard’s father, Ralph, had previously spent time on Pitino’s staff at multiple stops.
News of Willard accepting Villanova’s offer was first reported by Inside Maryland Sports.
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