Clergy Abuse in Maryland

Clergy and Sexual Abuse – Maryland

Clergy abuse survivor Joseph Curry recently settled for $1,700,000 after he filed a lawsuit against the Maryland Roman Catholic Diocese. The last clergy abuse case before Joseph won filed by John Vai resulted in a $60,000,000 jury award. St. Elizabeth Parish in Maryland had to fork over $3,000,000 for its part in the Catholic sex abuse scandal.

Joseph Curry was a sex abuse victim of Reverend Edward B. Carley, now deceased. But Curry and Vai were both finally vindicated for the horrendous abuse that they struggled with for years. It’s hard to come forth when you are a victim of priest abuse, minister sex abuse, or clergy sex abuse, but it is an important part of the healing process. Many people will suffer in secrecy and silence for decades only to wake up one morning with the need to fight back. The problem is that often the waiting causes the statute of limitations to lapse and they are forever barred from filing a lawsuit and collecting damages from the abusive institution. This is a sad part of our practice. We cannot help everyone because time is everyone’s worst enemy.

Sam Rogatinsky of the Rogatinsky Firm is a highly regarded clergy abuse attorney who is also strong proven advocate for child sex abuse victims. If you have a child sex abuse case, Mr. Rogatinsky can represent you and get the results you deserve. Mr. Rogatinsky can be reached on the toll free number found on this website or can even be reached on his personal cell phone at (954) 444-4032. If you don’t reach Sam when you call, leave a message and he’ll call back. Your case is extremely important, so call any time. You can find more information on the Rogatinsky Firm at www.rogatinskylaw.com

Mr. Rogatinsky knows that sex abuse counseling is integral to the healing process of clergy sex abuse, priest sex abuse and child sex abuse abuse victims. Mr. Rogatinsky will even assist you so that you find the right therapist for your situation. Mr. Rogatinsky will introduce you to sex abuse support associations like http://www.wingsfound.org/ and http://www.way2hope.org/sexabuse.htm.

Call Mr. Rogatinsky right away if you are a child sex abuse or church sex abuse survivor. The statute of limitations for the state of Maryland is summed below for your convenience:

Statute of Limitations for Maryland Clergy and Sex Abuse Civil Cases:

• The Statute of limitations state that child sex abuse cases may be filed up to 7 years after the victim’s 18^th birthday. MD. CODE ANN., CTS. & JUD. PROC. § 5-117 (2008). Lesser suits based on injuries that are caused by sexual violations of a minor which don’t constitute sexual abuse have a Statute of Limitations of 3 years, potentially until 3 years after the victim’s 18^th birthday. See id. § 5-101. Id. § 5-201.
• The Maryland Courts have not extended the common law discovery rule in regards to child sexual abuse violations, see, e.g., Doe v. Archdiocese of Washington, 689 A.2d 634 (Md. Ct. Spec. App. 1997).
• As of October 1, 2003, there is no retroactivity. 2003 Md. Laws 360, sec 2.

Statute of Limitations for Maryland Clergy Abuse and Sexual Abuse Criminal Cases:

• No SOL for Felony Offenses; 1 Year SOL for Misdemeanors : There is no Statute of Limitations in Maryland for felony sex abuse offenses. See Clark v. State, 744 A.2d 113, n.8 (Md. 2001). There is a liberal classification in Maryland of sex abuse offenses. MD. CODE ANN., CRIM. LAW §§ 3-301 to -324 (2008). Misdemeanors sex abuse offense can be prosecuted within a year of the offense. MD. CODE ANN., CTS. & JUD. PROC. § 5-106 (2008).