Ten Frequently Asked Questions About the Status of the Child Victims Act of 2023 (CVA), Including Challenges to Its Constitutionality 1. What is the Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023 (CVA)? The Maryland Child Victims Act (CVA), effective from October 1, 2023, empowers survivors of childhood sexual abuse to pursue civil actions against their abusers …
The Fight Against Sex Trafficking and How Our Law Firm Supports Survivors
A 33 year old Baltimore woman is facing 135 charges for allegedly running a sex-trafficking ring that exploited vulnerable women over nearly two years. The operation, known as “The Pussy Kat Klub,” manipulated women into owing a “drug debt,” forcing them into commercial sex acts to pay it off. The woman and her co-conspirators advertised …
Catholic Churches and Institutions Declare Bankruptcy
With many sexual abuse lawsuits pending, dozens of Catholic Churches and institutions nationwide are filing for bankruptcy protections under Chapter 11, seeking debt reorganization. This could change how courts handle survivors’ claims. This includes the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which filed for bankruptcy in September 2023. The filing came only a few days before new laws …
Baird Mandalas Brockstedt & Federico, Grant & Eisenhofer, Jenner Law: Press Release
BALTIMORE, MD, MAY 05, 2023 — Before the Maryland Attorney General released its 456-page report on sexual abusers in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, three Maryland law firms formed a coalition to better represent survivors of institutional abuse. This report, published in April of 2023, named new and known members of the clergy accused of sexual …
What Is DARVO in Sexual Abuse Cases?
DARVO is an acronym meaning “Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender.” It is a manipulation tactic that perpetrators of abuse and their defense teams use to deny their wrongdoings and reverse blame onto the victim in an attempt to avoid penalty or conviction. Both individuals and institutions, such as universities and churches, use DARVO against …