The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington issued the following statement after Judge Robin D. Gill Bright, associate judge of the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Maryland ruled the 2023 Child Victims Act is constitutional. The act allows survivors of childhood sexual abuse to file lawsuits regardless of how long ago the alleged abuse occurred. The judge rejected the archdiocese’s contention that the law is unconstitutional because retroactively removing the statute of limitations is a violation of the due process guarantee.

Here is the complete text of the statement by The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington:

“The important constitutional principles presented in this case are not unique to The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and are at issue in the cases filed against public entities, private schools, and secular and religious organizations across the state. The Archdiocese will pursue an immediate appeal of today’s decision, and regardless of the ultimate outcome of that appeal, we will remain committed to our longstanding efforts to bring healing to survivors through pastoral care and other forms of assistance that are available apart from the legal process. We are also committed to maintaining our robust safe environment protocols that have been in place for decades to ensure the protection of all those who are entrusted to our care.”