Maryland

Maryland Supreme Court hears arguments on child sex abuse lawsuits

Published

2 years ago

September 10, 2024

Maryland Supreme Court hears arguments on child sex abuse lawsuits

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Supreme Court of Maryland heard arguments on Tuesday about the constitutionality of a 2023 law that ended the state’s statute of limitations for child sexual abuse lawsuits following a report that exposed widespread wrongdoing within the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

The arguments, which lasted several hours and often veered into highly technical legalese, largely focused on the intent of the Maryland legislature when it passed a preceding law in 2017 that said people in Maryland who were sexually abused as children could bring lawsuits up until they turned 38.

A ruling from the state’s highest court is expected in the coming months.

Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, signed the Child Victims Act into law last year — less than a week after the state’s attorney general released a report that documented rampant abuse committed by Baltimore clergy spanning 80 years and accused church leaders of decades of coverups.

The report, which is nearly 500 pages, included details about more than 150 Catholic priests and others associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore abusing over 600 children. State investigators began their work in 2019. They reviewed over 100,000 pages of documents dating back to the 1940s and interviewed hundreds of victims and witnesses.

Days before the new law was to take effect Oct. 1, the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy to protect its assets ahead of an anticipated deluge of litigation. That means claims filed against the archdiocese will be relegated to bankruptcy court, but other institutions such as Catholic schools and individual parishes can still be sued directly.

All lawsuits filed under the Child Victims Act have been placed on hold pending a decision from the Maryland Supreme Court. Lawmakers had anticipated such a challenge on constitutional grounds and included a provision in the law outlining that process.

While the court’s ruling will have wide-reaching effects for child sex abuse cases in Maryland, the oral arguments Tuesday centered on a seemingly small technical issue involving the earlier 2017 law change that established the cutoff at age 38.

The question at hand is whether a provision in the 2017 legislation was written in such a way that permanently protected certain defendants from liability. Answering that question likely requires the court to decide whether the provision should be considered a statute of limitations or a so-called statute of repose.

Attorneys for defendants facing liability claims under the new law contend it’s a statute of repose, which they say can’t be modified because it includes a “vested right to be free from liability.”

“As a general matter, of course, a legislature may repeal existing laws and substitute new ones. But it may not do so in a manner that destroys substantive rights that have vested under the terms of existing law,” the Archdiocese of Washington wrote in a brief filed ahead of oral arguments.

Attorneys representing businesses, insurance companies and Maryland civil defense lawyers also raised concerns in a supporting brief about issues surrounding witness testimony and record retention in cases being filed decades after the fact.

But the most substantive arguments before the court Tuesday focused on legislative intent.

Attorneys for abuse survivors asserted that when the Maryland General Assembly passed the 2017 law, legislators clearly did not intend to prevent future lawmakers from reconsidering the issue and altering the time limits on civil lawsuits. The law may have included the term “repose,” but that doesn’t mean the legislature wanted to make it permanent, attorneys argued.

“There is a debate between that label — statute of repose — and the actual operational function of the act,” attorney Catherine Stetson told the court’s seven justices, arguing that the court should consider the statute’s structure, operation and full text rather than looking at “a word in a vacuum.”

“Child sexual abuse is a scourge on society, and it often takes survivors decades to come to terms with what they suffered,” victims’ attorneys wrote in a brief. “It is hard to imagine a law more rationally related to a legitimate governmental interest than this one.”

Some justices expressed skepticism about whether state legislators in 2017 knowingly chose language with the intention of limiting the powers of their successors.

“If it had that significance, wouldn’t you expect that there would be more explanation in the legislative record?” Chief Justice Matthew Fader asked. “Wouldn’t that have popped up somewhere?”

Attorneys for the Archdiocese of Washington and the Key School, a small private school in Annapolis, asserted that the legislature was clear and unambiguous in its language.

“The General Assembly meant exactly what it said,” attorney Sean Gugerty told the court. “The plain language of the statute is what controls the analysis.”

Justice Brynja Booth pointed out that interpreting the law isn’t always cut and dry.

“Don’t we often look beyond a label … to look at the characteristics to determine what it actually means,” she said.

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Maryland

Truck driver in Maryland fatal crash identified as Waynesboro man

Published

2 hours ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Truck driver in Maryland fatal crash identified as Waynesboro man

A Waynesboro man died in a single-vehicle crash in Frederick County, Maryland.
The driver was identified by Maryland State Police as 28-year-old Timothy Rice Jr.
The tractor-trailer he was driving left the road and overturned for unknown reasons.

A Waynesboro man died Sunday, March 29, after the tractor-trailer he was driving in Frederick County, Maryland, crashed, according to Maryland State Police.

The truck driver was identified as Timothy Rice Jr., 28, of Waynesboro.

State police from the Frederick barrack responded shortly before 8:30 a.m. Sunday to the area of southbound U.S. 15 at West 7th Street for a reported overturned tractor-trailer, according to an email from state police spokesperson Ashley Millner.

The preliminary investigation indicates that, for unknown reasons, the tractor-trailer left the road before overturning, according to state police. State police are continuing to investigate.

Rice was pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency medical service personnel.

No other injuries were reported.

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Maryland

Vote: Who is the Maryland Softball Player of the Week – March 30, 2026

Published

14 hours ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

It’s officially spring, and high school softball season has already begun in Maryland. Once again, it’s time to answer the question: Who was the Maryland Softball Player of the Week?

We looked at multiple counties and nominated athletes for games played from March 23-29.

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Congratulations to last week’s winner: Macie Anderson of Kent Island.

We ask you to check out this week’s nominees and cast your vote below.

Voting ends Sunday, April 5, at 11:59 p.m. PT. The winner will be announced next week. Here are the nominees.

Abigail Clemens, Bethesda-Chevy Chase

Clemens, a sophomore, went 4-for-5 at the plate with three RBIs and a double in Bethesda-Chevy Chase’s 19-4 blowout victory over Rockville.

Allie Hage, Bethesda-Chevy Chase

Hage went a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBIs, two doubles, and two runs in the Barons’ 15-1 win over Watkins Mill.

Addie Harling, Quince Orchard

Harling, a freshman, was dominant in the circle with 14 strikeouts through five scoreless innings in Quince Orchard’s 15-0 victory over Watkins Mill.

Paulina Mann, Einstein

Mann went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs, two doubles, a triple, and a run in Einstein’s 19-0 shutout win over Whitman. She also tossed eight strikeouts in the circle.

Ava Libercci, Mount Carmel

Libercci finished with a whopping nine RBIs, three home runs, and three runs on 3-for-3 batting in Mount Carmel’s 22-14 slugfest victory over Chapelgate Christian Academy.

Erin Martin, Mount Carmel

In the same game, Martin put up seven RBIs, a double, a triple, and three runs for the Cougars.

Nala Johnson, Northwest

Johnson was impressive in the circle with 13 strikeouts in five innings to lead Northwest’s 17-1 victory over Wootton. She also went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs and a double.

Ali Porter, Northwest

Porter, another previous nominee, went 4-for-6 with four RBIs, a double, and three runs in the Jaguars’ 25-0 shutout win over Churchill.

Imani Lewis, City College

Lewis, a junior, went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with six RBIs, two home runs, a triple, and four runs in City College’s 22-10 win over Forest Park.

Abby Marmen, Fallston

Marmen, a senior and Drexel commit, finished with six RBIs, a double, a triple, and a home run on 4-for-4 batting in Fallston’s dominant 27-0 shutout victory over Joppatowne.

Sara Frist, Fallston

In the same game, the senior Frist also registered six RBIs, along with two doubles and four runs scored on 3-for-5 batting for the Cougars.

Annie Baker, Mountain Ridge

Baker went 3-for-4 with six RBIs, two doubles, and three runs in Mountain Ridge’s 19-1 blowout victory over Berkeley Springs (WV).

Emerson Koenig, Richard Montgomery

Koenig finished with five RBIs, a double, and a run on 3-for-4 batting in Richard Montgomery’s 20-1 blowout win over Blake.

Rebekah Caballero, McDonough

Caballero had a dominant two-way performance in McDonough’s 17-6 victory over Great Mills. In the circle, she tossed 10 strikeouts through six innings, while at the plate, she went 3-for-5 with seven RBIs, a double, and three runs.

Rylan Crisafulli, Broadneck

Crisafulli, a junior, tossed 12 strikeouts in four innings with no hits allowed in Broadneck’s 8-0 win over Annapolis.

Kimani Dennis, Dulaney

Dennis finished with four RBIs, a home run, a triple, and three RBIs in Dulaney’s 16-0 shutout victory over Lansdowne.

About Our Athlete of the Week Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals.Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports.Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.

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Maryland

USC baseball takes two of three from Maryland to win another series

Published

1 day ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

USC baseball takes two of three from Maryland to win another series

After suffering just their second loss of the season against Oregon State on Tuesday, the USC baseball team looked to get back on track over the weekend when they traveled across the country for a three-game series at Maryland. It was not the prettiest, but the Trojans were able to take the series, winning two of their three games against the Terrapins.

On Friday, USC jumped out to an early lead and survived late. After leading 10-2 through three innings, the Trojans survived a late Maryland rally and emerged with an 11-10 victory.

On Saturday, the team suffered just its third loss of the season, falling 6-4. On Sunday, however, the Trojans came out hungry for payback and delivered just that, winning 14-4 in an eight-inning mercy rule affair.

USC has now won all seven of its series to open the season, including all four in Big Ten play. The Trojans now sit at 26-3 on the year and 10-2 in conference.

USC will now return to the West Coast for a matchup with UC Santa Barbara at Dedeaux Field on Tuesday night. They will then head to Westwood next weekend for a three-game series against rival UCLA. With both teams currently ranked in the top ten, it sets up to be the biggest baseball Crosstown Showdown in many years.

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