Judge Robert I.H. Hammerman, photo courtesy of The Awareness Center. Once hailed by the Baltimore community and respected for his public service, Hammerman is now the subject of a lawsuit revealing his dark past as an alleged predator who abused his position of trust.
For decades, Robert I. H. Hammerman was regarded as one of Baltimore’s most influential public figures—a Circuit Court Chief Judge, civic leader, youth mentor, and founder of the Lancers Boys Club. The man once hailed as a “Baltimore icon” now faces posthumous allegations that he sexually abused children while holding positions of power in trusted institutions.
A civil lawsuit filed by Andreozzi and Foote under Maryland’s Child Victims Act seeks to hold accountable the institutions that enabled Hammerman’s sexual abuse of a child and failed to act despite clear warning signs.
Institutions Named in the Lawsuit
While other victims have come forward with similar allegations, the current lawsuit focuses on one individual’s experience of abuse and the institutions that enabled it.
The following entities are named as defendants in the lawsuit:
- The Salvation Army
- Boys and Girls Club of Metropolitan Baltimore, Inc.
- Lancers Boys Club
- The Johns Hopkins University
- The Circuit Court for Baltimore City
According to the suit, the victim first encountered Hammerman in or around 1986 through one or more of Hammerman’s official positions within these organizations. While acting in these roles, Hammerman built a position of trust with the child and then exploited that trust to repeatedly sexually abuse him.
At the time of the abuse, Hammerman held significant authority and influence in Baltimore’s legal and civic communities, which may have made it more difficult for victims to come forward.
Public Allegations Against Hammerman
Concerns about Hammerman’s behavior began surfacing publicly in 2000, when a 17-year-old student at Gilman School used his graduation speech to describe a troubling encounter with Hammerman in a Johns Hopkins shower room following a tennis match. Although he said he was never physically touched, the student described being unsettled by the judge’s inappropriate looks.
Another disturbing account followed. In a December 2004 Baltimore Jewish Times article titled “Pandora’s Box,” a former member of the Lancers Boys Club, under the pseudonym “Barry,” described the sexual harassment that he and other boys were subjected to. He said that Hammerman frequently insisted that boys—even those who hadn’t played in a game—shower after club sports, and that he would stand and watch them. Barry also described being asked inappropriate sexual questions at a lunch meeting when he was 16.
“This is what happened to me, and I know it happened to others,” Barry told the Baltimore Jewish Times. His words point to a pattern. For years, Hammerman’s authority gave him access to children across multiple organizations while others in power failed to intervene.
Despite these disclosures, no criminal charges were ever filed against Hammerman.
It’s a bitter irony: a man who spent decades presiding over justice in Baltimore’s courts never faced accountability for his own alleged crimes.
Suicide and a Legacy of Unanswered Questions
On November 11, 2004, Hammerman was found dead by suicide near his home in Pikesville. He left behind a detailed 10-page letter mailed to more than 2,000 of family members, colleagues, and friends, in which he expressed deep fears about declining health, including the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. He cited this as a key reason for his decision to take his own life.
Robert Bell, formerly Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, described Hammerman to The Associated Press as “devoted to the law and to young people”; someone who “mentored them and cared very deeply for their well-being.”
However, this civil lawsuit and survivor accounts tell a starkly different story. The alleged abuse directly contradicts the image of mentorship and care portrayed by Judge Bell, demonstrating that Hammerman’s public reputation effectively concealed his disturbing actions.
Hammerman’s death ended any possibility of a criminal trial. For survivors, losing the opportunity to give sworn testimony, seek a jury verdict, and have Hammerman legally answer for his actions in court.
A Step Toward Justice
Although Hammerman died without ever answering to his victims, the institutions that empowered him are being held accountable. Civil suits can provide survivors with recognition, closure, and a public record of what occurred, even when the abuser is gone.
If you or someone you know was abused in connection with the Lancers Boys Club, The Salvation Army, Johns Hopkins University, or any of the other involved institutions, legal options may still be available.
Survivors have a right to be heard, and our attorneys are ready to listen.
Contact us today.
