Survivors Testify, Demanding Justice and Fair Compensation in Baltimore Archdiocese Bankruptcy Case
Survivors abused by clergy in Archdiocese of Baltimore told the court about their lifelong pain and struggle in hope getting some kind of justice from the Catholic Church.
On November 5, 2025, a victim impact hearing was held in Baltimore, Maryland were 10 brave survivors sexually abused by Archdiocese of Baltimore clergy relayed the profound impact the abuse left on their lives and demanded accountability form the Catholic Church. The hearing was one of three “impact” sessions designed to let survivors speak directly, in federal bankruptcy court, about how their abuse has affected their lives. Archbishop Lori looked on as survivors asserted that the abuse is not simply a past chapter, but an ongoing burden that impacts each differently: addiction, self-harm, and a lack of self-esteem which effects multiple aspects of their day-to-day lives. The Archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2023 amid multiple abuse allegations—just days before Maryland’s Child Victims Act (CVA) took effect. The opened the courthouse door to survivors by eliminating the statute of limitations for civil claims arising out of child sexual abuse.
Survivors are frustrated by the Archdiocese’s constant delay tactics and are insulted by its proposed settlement fund, which totals approximately $33 million. With nearly 1,000 survivors filing claims, the estimated individual share is around $35,000—an amount that many survivors is far too little to compensate them for the lifelong trauma and profound, sometimes life-shattering, impact the abuse has left.
More than 900 survivors filed claims in the bankruptcy against the Archdiocese. After promising to make every effort to expedite the bankruptcy process and fairly compensate survivors, the Archdiocese has done the opposite. Most recently, the Archdiocese claimed it should not have to pay survivors a dime out of its assets based on Maryland’s charitable immunity defense. Charitable immunity protects certain kinds of charitable organizations for lawsuits on the theory that monies donated to charity should not be used to pay for tort claims. Survivors’ attorneys have argued forcefully that the Archdiocese waived its right to assert charitable immunity by seeking protection in the bankruptcy court. Survivors feel that the Church has betrayed them once again by promising to cooperate and accept responsibility for their actions and instead paying millions to lawyers to delay and obstruct survivors’ justice.
One survivor, Erin Maze, looked directly at Archbishop Lori as she relayed her “grief and unimaginable pain.” “Looking him straight in the eye, Ms. Maze scolded him, “You are not trying to equitably compensate us.” Referring to Lori’s own broken promises, she described her opportunity to speak to him directly as “important to me because I need to make it clear that the hypocrisy within the Catholic Church is ongoing.” She concluded that these tactics only prove that Lori and other Church leaders “act like they care about us, but they don’t.”
On March 21, 2024, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michelle M. Harner issued a historic order permitting survivors to tell their stories in the Baltimore-based bankruptcy proceedings. To our knowledge, this is the first such order in the spate of bankruptcy cases brought on behalf of Catholic dioceses across the country. This latest hearing was the third time Archdiocese of Baltimore survivors have addressed the judge and Archbishop Lori, and they hope to make a lasting impression that they deserve fair compensation for the profound trauma that has haunted them for most of their lives.
