Maryland’s 2023 Child Victims Act removed the time limit for many lawsuits over child sexual abuse, including abuse in state and local facilities. In 2025, the General Assembly passed a law that lowers how much the State and local governments can be required to pay on older claims filed on or after June 1, 2025. The changes matter to adults who were abused as children in public institutions, including juvenile facilities.
Background: the 2023 Child Victims Act
According to the Maryland Department of Legislative Services, the Child Victims Act of 2023 took effect October 1, 2023. It eliminated the statute of limitations for civil claims of sexual abuse that happened when the victim was a minor, and it revived claims that had already expired. One exception: an older claim cannot be revived if the survivor has died. In February 2025, the Supreme Court of Maryland held that the 2023 law is constitutional.
The legislative analysis cited figures from the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. As of mid-to-late April 2025, 45 Child Victims Act complaints involving 1,586 plaintiffs had been filed against the State. The office had earlier estimated about 4,000 claimants. News reports have said many claims against the State involve juvenile facilities; the legislative analyses we reviewed do not break down claims by agency.
What the 2025 law changed
House Bill 1378 became Chapter 104 of the 2025 Laws of Maryland and took effect June 1, 2025. According to the enrolled bill and the fiscal note, it:
- Limits the State’s liability to $890,000 per claimant for “the claim or claims” of child sexual abuse, instead of per “incident or occurrence”
- Lowers that limit to $400,000 per claimant for claims that would have been time-barred before October 1, 2023, and that are filed on or after June 1, 2025
- Makes similar changes for local governments and local boards of education
- Lowers the cap on noneconomic damages against private defendants for those older claims from $1.5 million to $700,000
- Limits attorney’s fees in these cases to 20% of a settlement or 25% of a judgment
- Requires the Maryland Judiciary to report on awards and claims each year starting January 31, 2027
The lower limits apply only to older claims filed on or after June 1, 2025. A 2026 legislative analysis cited news reports estimating that about 11,000 plaintiffs had sued under the Act. That is an estimate, not a court finding.
What happened in 2026
In the 2026 session, Senate Bill 693 proposed repealing the new limits on attorney’s fees. Its fiscal note says that Child Victims Act claims against the State are paid by the Board of Public Works and that a funding source for those payments had not been identified. The General Assembly’s website shows the bill received a committee hearing but did not advance further.
What these numbers do not mean
Damages caps set the most a court can award against certain defendants. They are not a measure of what any claim is worth, and no settlement or verdict in another case predicts the value of yours. Every case turns on its own facts, the defendants involved and the law that applies. Maryland’s rules also differ from other states’ rules. Some states have opened revival windows; others have not.
Our page on juvenile detention center sexual abuse explains how adults abused as minors in youth facilities may bring claims, including notice rules for government defendants.
What this means for survivors
If you were abused as a child in a Maryland facility, the date a claim is filed can affect which limits apply. In other states, very different deadlines and rules may apply. A lawyer can review your situation and explain the options. You can find more on our sexual assault and abuse page.
This article is general information about how these cases work. It is not legal advice, it does not create an attorney-client relationship, and no two claims are alike. If something here sounds like your situation, the useful next step is a conversation about the facts.
