Maryland, My Maryland

From Dan Greenfield at Front Page, Maryland Dems Panic After Sex Abuse Lawsuits Threaten to Bankrupt State ""We could never have anticipated the sheer volume of cases"

This is the very embodiment of corruption in the most evil kind of way. 

Maryland lawmakers passed a measure Saturday to try to limit future liabilities from claims of sexual abuse at state and private institutions after thousands of people unexpectedly came forward with allegations of abuse, many of them in youth detention centers, putting potentially billions of dollars at stake for the state.

The wave of cases targeting the state’s juvenile justice system resulted after Maryland eliminated the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims two years ago with the Catholic Church abuse scandal in mind.

In 2023, Maryland passed the Child Victims Act that was signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore lifting the time limit on how long people could wait to sue over alleged child sexual abuse by institutions.

“The passage of time will not prevent survivors from seeking justice for sexual abuse they suffered as children. I am proud of the role our office played in defending this landmark statute,” Attorney General Anthony Brown promised earlier this year

Now Maryland is rushing to gut the Child Victims Act because it’s not just the Catholic Church getting sued.

How long did it take Maryland Dems to rush the bill through shielding themselves? Two days.

The rapid-fire passage of House Bill 1378 — it got out of the House, through the Senate, back to the House and to the governor’s desk in just two days…

Two days. That’s how corrupt everyone involved in this.

C.T. Wilson, who introduced the Child Victims Act bill, then introduced a bill gutting the bill because the bill was getting too high.

The measure, which now goes to Gov. Wes Moore, reduces caps on settlements from $890,000 to $400,000 for cases filed after May 31 for state institutions and from $1.5 million to $700,000 for private institutions.

Note that the cap for government institutions is $400,000, but at $700,000 for private ones. Why is that?

I don't see this so much as corrupt as a case of unintended consequences. The intention was to get religion for it's sins of the past, but they couldn't do it without making the remedy available to all. Where they erred was to somehow expect that government workers, school teachers, social workers etc, etc, that come into contact with children were holier that actual priests. I expect someone will challenge the lower cap on government institutions on the basis of equal treatment under the law. They should win, but, then, this is Maryland.