Maryland Cuts Child Victims Act Damages After June 1: Why the Filing Date Now Matters So Much
Survivors of childhood sexual abuse in Maryland were told, just three months ago, that the courthouse doors were open for good: in February, the Supreme Court of Maryland upheld the Child Victims Act and its promise that no survivor would ever again be turned away as "too late." That promise still stands. But last month the General Assembly changed the terms — and for anyone weighing whether to bring a claim, the calendar has suddenly become urgent.
On April 22, 2025, Governor Moore signed House Bill 1378. Effective June 1, 2025, it sharply reduces the damages available in Child Victims Act cases — but only for cases filed on or after that date. Claims filed before June 1 keep the caps the 2023 Act promised.
What changes on June 1
| Filed by May 31, 2025 | Filed on or after June 1, 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Noneconomic damages cap — private institutions (schools, churches, youth organizations) | $1,500,000 per claimant | $700,000 per claimant (all claims against a single defendant combined) |
| Cap — government entities | $890,000 | $400,000 |
| Multiple incidents of abuse | Caps as enacted in 2023 | A single cap regardless of the number of incidents |
To say it plainly: for a survivor abused at a private institution, filing on May 31 rather than June 1 can mean the difference between a $1.5 million ceiling and a $700,000 ceiling on noneconomic damages — the category that, in abuse cases, represents most of the harm. The new law also limits how the caps aggregate across multiple incidents of abuse and addresses attorney's fees.
Why the legislature did this
The change was driven by money, and survivors deserve to hear that honestly. After February's ruling confirmed the Act's constitutionality, the State faced an estimated multibillion-dollar exposure from claims involving abuse in state-run juvenile detention facilities. Lawmakers responded by cutting the caps prospectively. Survivors' advocates opposed the rollback, and plaintiff-side groups have signaled constitutional challenges to it — but as of today, June 1 is the operative line, and no one should plan a case on the assumption that a court will erase it.
What has NOT changed
- There is still no filing deadline. The Child Victims Act's elimination of the statute of limitations remains fully intact. A survivor who is not ready to come forward this month, or this decade, does not lose the right to sue.
- Revived claims remain valid. February's constitutional ruling is untouched. Abuse from any era can still be the subject of a claim.
- Economic damages are analyzed separately. Therapy costs, lost earnings, and other economic losses are not what these noneconomic caps address.
What this means for survivors in Maryland
We want to be careful here, because urgency and trauma are a hard mix, and the last thing any survivor needs is pressure. So two things are true at once.
First: if you have been considering a claim — if you have already spoken with a lawyer, or told your story to someone, or simply carried the question — the next few weeks genuinely matter. A claim filed by May 31, 2025 preserves the higher caps. Filing does not require public exposure; courts routinely permit survivors to proceed under pseudonyms, and filing a complaint is the beginning of a process you control, not a courtroom appearance.
Second: if you are not ready, that is a complete answer. The right to file does not expire on June 1 — only the ceiling on one category of damages changes. No one should be rushed into litigation they have not chosen. The decision belongs to you, on your timeline, with advice you trust.
What filing actually involves
Because the deadline makes this question concrete, it deserves a concrete answer. Filing a claim before June 1 means that a complaint — a formal document describing what happened, when, where, and who was responsible — is submitted to the court by your lawyer. It does not mean testifying, appearing in court, confronting anyone, or going public. Survivors can generally file under initials or a pseudonym. Preparing a complaint responsibly takes real work — identifying the correct institutional defendants, establishing where the abuse occurred, gathering what documentation exists — which is another reason not to wait until the final days of May if filing is something you are considering. A claim filed carefully before the deadline preserves everything; a claim rushed past the deadline preserves less.
What we would urge every survivor to do now, ready or not, is get informed. A confidential conversation with a lawyer before the end of May costs nothing, obligates you to nothing, and ensures that whatever you decide, you decide it knowing what the law offers on each side of the line.
If you or a loved one has been hurt, call Posey Lebowitz at (202) 524-0123 or send us a message for a free consultation.
Part of our DMV case law archive, compiled in 2026 to reflect the archive of some of the most important decisions in injury law.
Update: The June 1 deadline has since passed. For what the cap rollback means for cases filed before and after that date, see our August 2025 follow-up.