2023-05-10 15:55:25
After Maryland lawmakers recently removed the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse lawsuits amid increased scrutiny from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced plans Tuesday to file a series of civil lawsuits. on behalf of the victims.
The threat of litigation comes as the archdiocese grapples with the continuing fallout from a state report released last month that found more than 150 priests and other clergy in the archdiocese sexually abused more than 600 children. The report, produced by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office after a year-long investigation, paints a damning picture of the country’s oldest Catholic diocese.
Days after the report was released, Governor Wes Moore signed legislation to end Maryland’s statute of limitations for child sexual abuse lawsuits effective October 1. Previously, victims couldn’t sue after they turned 38.
Crump, best known for representing victims of police brutality, held a news conference Tuesday outside the Baltimore Basilica with attorney Adam Slater, his partner in some previous high-profile sexual assault cases. Several potential plaintiffs shared stories of his abuse; some overlapped with the findings of the attorney general’s investigation, while others filed new complaints.
“You can’t let go of the trauma that was inflicted, no matter how hard you try,” Crump explained to reporters. “Many of them, for years, for decades, believed it was their fault.”
A spokesman for the archdiocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Marc Floto, one of the potential plaintiffs, said the attorney general’s investigation inspired him to come forward and speak publicly about the child abuse he said caused “so much trouble” in his life.
“Still to this day, I have so much anger, so much hate,” she said, sobbing quietly between sentences. “The church must be held accountable.”
Floto displayed a printout photo of himself, in a suit and tie, his blond hair neatly styled, from the time he said the abuse occurred.
The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly.
“This child was robbed of his innocence,” Crump added.
Floto also maintained that he was not interviewed for the attorney general’s investigation, but his alleged abuser, Father James Dowdy, is named in the report.
Ordained in 1969, Dowdy served in several Maryland parishes before allegations of abuse surfaced in 1991, according to the report. He denied the accusations, claiming it was nothing more than antics with children, and apparently faced no consequences.
Two years later, another man reported that Dowdy had sexually abused him in the 1970s and 1980s. Dowdy was then placed on leave and his ministerial powers were removed, the report says.
Church officials agreed to pay for the victim’s counseling and medication costs, while also funding Dowdy’s therapy, medical care, and living expenses for years. Her expenses cost the church more than $100,000, more than 10 times what the victim received, according to the report. During therapy, Dowdy revealed many more cases of abuse. Finally, in 1977, her employment with the church was terminated.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore has already paid more than $13.2 million for the care and compensation of 301 abuse victims since the 1980s, including $6.8 million for 105 voluntary settlements.
But the recent law change, including a provision making it retroactive, could allow for a spate of additional lawsuits.
The Maryland Catholic Conference, which represents the three dioceses that serve the state, opposed the measure, arguing that the retroactive window was unconstitutional and citing potentially devastating impacts on the Baltimore archdiocese and other institutions. Anticipating a court challenge, lawmakers included language in the bill that would further delay lawsuits until the Maryland Supreme Court can determine whether it is constitutional.
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