The recent decision by the Archdiocese of Baltimore not to assert charitable immunity marks a critical turning point in a long, painful fight for justice. After years of litigation, survivors and their advocates have finally forced the church to give up a legal shield. This shield could have effectively blocked compensation entirely, as many understood it would protect the institution at the expense of those it harmed.
Yet even as this welcome development clears one legal hurdle, it also highlights how far we still have to go. Especially when the offers on the table amount to what survivors called insulting.
What Dropping Charitable Immunity Really Means
Charitable immunity is an outdated doctrine that, if asserted, could have allowed the Archdiocese to avoid paying civil damages. They could argue that its assets come from donations meant for charitable purposes. In other words, money given by faithful people to support the community and worship could have been legally shielded from serving survivors’ needs.
By agreeing not to use that defense now, the Archdiocese has removed a major obstacle that stood between survivors and meaningful accountability. For survivors who have waited decades to be heard, having that barrier taken off the table is a genuine breakthrough. Moreover, it reflects the influence of survivor advocacy, hard-fought legal pressure, and public scrutiny.
But Let’s Be Clear: $35,000 Is Not Justice
Despite this step forward, the Archdiocese’s previous offer of roughly $35,000 per survivor was widely rejected and for good reason.
To survivors, that number wasn’t a genuine attempt at restitution — it was a slap in the face.
The lifelong costs of childhood sexual abuse aren’t measured in a few tens of thousands of dollars. They are counted in:
- Decades of trauma, shame, depression, anxiety, and PTSD
- Lost earning capacity, interrupted education, and unstable relationships
- Long-term health consequences both, mental and physical
- Therapy, medication, and the daily, unrelenting work of survival
Survivors don’t want wealth or windfalls. Instead, they want justice, acknowledgment, dignity, and the resources to rebuild lives that were stolen from them. Offering a fraction of what even the Archdiocese’s own filings valued individual claims at is concerning. Survivors were seeking roughly $1 million each, which underscores how deeply traditional institutions misunderstand the human toll of abuse.
Why Financial Compensation Matters
Compensation in childhood sexual abuse cases isn’t about enrichment — it’s about equity. It’s a way of recognizing:
- The profound breach of trust — when institutions that should protect us harm us instead
- The ongoing financial burden — therapy, medical care, lost work opportunities
- The societal message of value — survivors deserve more than silence and dismissive gestures
Every survivor who comes forward carries a story of profound harm — stories of disrupted lives, shattered faith, and pain that follows them into middle age and beyond. In recent testimony, survivors spoke of night terrors, substance struggles, worthlessness, and a life lived under harm inflicted decades earlier.
Compensation is not a healing panacea, but it matters legally, financially, psychologically, and symbolically.
Our Firm’s Commitment: Standing With Survivors, Not Institutions
At our firm, we’ve represented hundreds of survivors in cases involving institutional abuse, including many against this very Diocese. We’ve seen firsthand how children’s lives are forever altered when the adults and institutions entrusted with safety instead become sources of harm. We know the legal system isn’t perfect, and we know survivors often fight uphill battles. They face barriers not just against legal defenses like charitable immunity, but against disbelief, delay tactics, and inadequate offers.
We have stood in courtrooms where survivors have finally found their voice. They tell judges and juries the truth that they were silenced from telling for years. We’ve helped secure settlements that honor suffering with dignity, not dismiss it with a dollar figure that fails to capture a lifetime of impact.
This development in Baltimore is a step, but it’s not the finish line. Survivors deserve:
- Genuine negotiation in good faith
- Compensation that reflects lifelong harm
- Accountability from institutions that harmed them
Looking Ahead at the Archdiocese of Baltimore
Charitable immunity being off the table means survivors can press forward. Mediation (though not yet successful) remains alive. And the public and legal scrutiny on this case continues to drive momentum.
But this fight is about more than legal technicalities. It’s about telling survivors that their pain matters, that their voices matter, and that accountability includes not just words, but meaningful, tangible restitution.
For survivors of childhood sexual abuse, justice must be measured in realities, not loopholes. Contact us today for support, 1-866-753-5458