BALTIMORE — Is the Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023 constitutional?
That's the question a federal judge has posed to the Maryland Supreme Court.
The law, effective last October, allows victims of child sex abuse to sue their alleged perpetrator without any statute of limitations.
Arising from that is a lawsuit against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS).
A woman claims she was sexually abused as a child between 1983 and 1985 at an LDS congregation in Camp Springs, Maryland.
Prior to the new law, the woman would have been unable to bring legal action against the church due to the amount of time that's elapsed.
Attorneys for LDS say the law violates Article 24 of Maryland's Declaration of Rights.
Thus far no court has ruled on the law's constitutionality, although several lawsuits have been filed since its gone into effect.
The Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023 stems from a 456 page investigative report into sexual abuse within the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
It appears Maryland's high court will address the question later this year.
