Survivors of abuse in a religious setting often describe the same second injury: they told someone, and the institution closed around itself. A file was opened somewhere. A person was moved. Nobody followed up.
That institutional response is not a side issue in these claims. It is frequently the claim, because it is what an organization did with knowledge it already had — and unlike memory, it tends to be written down.
The claim against the organization
A civil claim can be brought about the person who caused the harm. It can also be brought against the organization that placed them, supervised them and kept them in a position of trust. The questions are:
- What was reported, and to whom. Complaints made to a parish, a diocese, a denomination or a school, and what was recorded.
- What the organization did next. Whether anyone investigated, whether authorities were told, and whether the person was moved rather than removed.
- Whether there was a pattern. Transfers between parishes, congregations or locations following complaints are among the most significant facts in these cases.
- What supervision existed, particularly around access to children and unsupervised contact.
- What the organization knew when it placed them, including anything already in a personnel file.
This applies across denominations and faiths, and to religious schools, youth groups, camps and missions as much as to congregations.
The records these cases turn on
Religious organizations keep more documentation than survivors expect, and obtaining it is the core of the work:
- Personnel and assignment files, including the record of every posting and the dates
- Correspondence about complaints, including internal memoranda and legal or insurance notifications
- Treatment and evaluation records, where someone was sent for assessment following a complaint
- Directories and parish or congregation records, which establish who was where and when
- Prior civil claims and settlements involving the same person or location
- Publicly released lists, where an organization has published names of those credibly accused
Survivors frequently believe they have no evidence because they have no documents themselves. The documents are usually not yours to have — they are the institution’s, and part of what a claim does is compel their production.
A Maryland question worth knowing about
Maryland is one of the few states that has retained a form of charitable immunity, a doctrine that can limit claims against charitable organizations, including religious ones. It is not the absolute bar it sounds like, and its practical effect is closely tied to the liability insurance an organization holds.
We raise it here because it is a real feature of Maryland practice that survivors deserve to hear about early rather than late, and because how it applies depends on the organization, the period involved and the coverage in place. It is one of the first things we look at, and it is a question to put to us rather than a reason not to ask.
What bringing a claim against an organization involves
These are not negotiations with an individual. On the other side there is usually an insurer, outside counsel and an institution with its own reasons for how it responds, and that shapes the work:
- Records come first. Much of the early work is obtaining the organization's own files rather than gathering anything from you.
- You are not the one in contact with the institution. We handle that, including anything its lawyers or insurers send.
- Other survivors may already have come forward about the same person or place. Sometimes that strengthens a claim considerably, and sometimes it is how a pattern becomes visible at all.
- Resolution is often confidential, and what that means in your case is something to decide with your eyes open rather than at the end under pressure.
We do not name individuals on this website, and we do not publish clients' stories. Courts can protect a survivor's identity in some circumstances, and we explain what is realistic for you before anything is filed.
No time limit for abuse in childhood
If the abuse happened when you were a child, there is no longer a deadline for a civil claim against the abuser or the religious organization. The Child Victims Act of 2023 removed Maryland’s statute of limitations for these claims from October 1, 2023, retroactively, which reopened claims against dioceses and religious orders that had been closed for decades.
Revived claims are subject to damages caps: for claims filed on or after June 1, 2025, noneconomic damages are capped at $700,000 per claimant against each private defendant, so the abuser and the religious organization each face their own cap. The cap does not limit economic damages, such as the cost of treatment. That sits alongside the charitable immunity and insurance questions above, which is why an organization’s coverage history matters as much as it does. Ask us how both apply to your situation.
Before you use the organization’s own process
Many religious organizations run an internal review, a victim assistance office or a compensation program. Some are offered in good faith. All of them belong to the institution rather than to you.
Two things are worth knowing before you engage with one. Anything you say may be recorded and used later. And a payment offered through such a program can come with paperwork that gives up your right to bring a claim at all.
You are entitled to have someone read that paperwork before you sign it. If an organization has already offered you something, bring us what they gave you — that is a common and completely reasonable reason to call.
If you would rather speak to someone who is not a lawyer, the national sexual assault hotline is 800-656-4673, at any hour.
