Sex abuse victims to sue Baltimore Archdiocese under new law

By LEA SKENE
Associated Press

BALTIMORE (AP) — Civil rights attorney Ben Crump has announced plans to file a series of lawsuits on behalf of people who suffered child sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The planned civil claims come after Maryland lawmakers recently eliminated the statute of limitations for child sex abuse lawsuits amid increased scrutiny of the archdiocese’s troubled history of misconduct and coverup. That law change will go into effect Oct. 1. A report released last month by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office found that more than 150 clergy sexually abused over 600 children and perpetually escaped accountability for decades.