Latest news with #MurphyFalconMurphy
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Baltimore judge places temporary pause on filings of Child Victims Act lawsuits due to caseload
Baltimore judge places temporary halt to filings of Child Victims Act lawsuits due to caseload Baltimore judge places temporary halt to filings of Child Victims Act lawsuits due to caseload Baltimore judge places temporary halt to filings of Child Victims Act lawsuits due to caseload A Baltimore judge has put a temporary pause on filings of Child Victims Act lawsuits due to a large influx of lawsuits, according to The Baltimore Banner. According to a five-page order, more than 1,250 lawsuits have been filed in Baltimore Circuit Court under the Child Victims Act of 2023. The Act removed time limits for victims of sexual abuse seeking to take legal action. Child Victims Act revisions take effect On June 1, changes to the Child Victims Act took effect. Due to a revision made to the law in April, Sexual abuse survivors in Maryland now face monetary caps on court compensation after revisions to the Child Victims Act took effect Sunday. The bill limits payouts for abuse claims involving public institutions to $400,000 and claims against private institutions to $700,000. Attorney fees are also capped at 20% for cases settled out of court and 25% for cases that go to trial. Ongoing sex abuse lawsuits against institutions in Maryland A new lawsuit announced Monday claimed a Baltimore City Public School teacher sexually assaulted students in the 1970s. The lawsuit, filed by Baltimore-based law firm Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, accuses the school district of allowing special education teacher Alvin Hunt to abuse students in the late 1970s and early 1980s. One victim was left with severe trauma, and another, pregnant, as a result of the abuse, according to the lawsuit. More than 650 lawsuits have been filed, alleging abuse at Maryland juvenile detention centers between the 1970s and 2018. According to the lawsuits, the juvenile detention system delayed or ignored reform despite investigations, warnings, and reports of abusive staff and invasive strip searches. In April, a group of Maryland attorneys said they were filing lawsuits on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse at Calvert Hall College High School, an all-boys Catholic school in Baltimore County. The Archdiocese of Baltimore faces hundreds of lawsuits from victims who said they were abused by priests, teachers and employees under the church's supervision.
CBS News
4 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Survivors claim Baltimore City teacher sexually assaulted students in 1970s
New lawsuits announced Monday claim a Baltimore City Public School teacher sexually assaulted students in the 1970s. The lawsuit, filed by Baltimore-based law firm Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, accuses the district of allowing special education teacher Alvin Hunt to abuse students in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The alleged abuse resulted in severe trauma and left one victim pregnant, according to the law firm. Revised Child Victims Act in effect The new lawsuits come just after revisions to Maryland's Child Victims Act went into effect on June 1. The law, which was initially passed in 2023, eliminated the statute of limitations for sexual abuse survivors, allowing them to receive a payout of $890,000 for each claim. In April, Maryland passed revisions to the law that limit the amount of financial compensation that survivors can get to $400,000 for claims against public institutions and $700,000 for claims against private institutions. The revised Child Victims Act sparked controversy among advocates and survivors as they faced a deadline to file lawsuits before changes took effect. Similar lawsuits in Maryland Since the Child Victims Act first went into effect, there have been nearly 4,500 similar abuse lawsuits filed against schools, the state Department of Juvenile Services and the Catholic church, lawmakers said in April. In April, a New York-based law firm said 650 lawsuits had been filed against juvenile detention centers in Maryland within a year and a half. "These cases demonstrate that this was not an isolated or historic issue, but a persistent, generational crisis," attorneys from Levy Konigsberg said. In March, a lawsuit alleged the former dean of a Baltimore County private school abused students in the 1960s. That lawsuit was the fourth one filed against the school under the Child Victims Act. The filing claimed the school failed to protect its students. In 2023, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown reported that more than 600 children were abused by at least 165 priests, teachers and employees under the Catholic Church's supervision. More than 1,000 claims have been filed against the church.
