Were you sexually abused as a child in the Archdiocese of Baltimore? We can help.
If you have been sexually abused by a priest – or anyone else working in the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland – you may have a limited time to seek justice due to the expected passage of a new law suspending the statute of limitations in child sexual abuse cases in Maryland temporarily. Horowitz Law is now evaluating legal claims for anyone sexually abused by a priest, brother, nun, teacher, coach, or other lay employees of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Contact us at 844-598-2376 or [email protected] to learn more.
In September 2023, the Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for Chapter 11 Federal Bankruptcy Protection Days Before a New Law Would Have Opened the Courthouse Doors to Anyone Sexually Abused by its Priests.
On September 29, 2023, just days before a new Maryland law would have opened courthouse doors to clergy sexual abuse survivors, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The law, passed with the overwhelming support of Maryland’s lawmakers, revives old claims of child sexual abuse in Maryland, which would have have allowed survivors to sue the Archdiocese for its part in their abuse regardless on when the abuse occurred. Now, those same survivors must have their claims considered in the federal bankruptcy proceeding, not in front of a jury.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore, which lists more than $250M in assets on its website, claims it has neither the financial means nor the practical ability to litigate all of the abuse cases it expected would be filed in state court. The Bankruptcy filing now requires all of the abuse claims to be filed and decided in a single forum – the Bankruptcy Court, without the same rules governing the disclosure of information to the survivors and their attorneys.
A claims filing deadline, also called a “bar date,” will soon be established by the Bankruptcy Court. If you were a victim of child sex abuse by a priest or other church employee in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, you should contact an attorney to discuss your options as soon as possible.
Our lawyers are among the most experienced in the country in cases of clergy sexual abuse – and experience matters when church leaders have some of the toughest lawyers in America working to keep their secrets.
Sexual abuse by any member of the clergy is an egregious breach of trust. Adam Horowitz is among the most experienced attorneys in the country in representing persons sexually abused by priests from the Catholic church and clergy of many other faiths. Since 2000, the lawyers of Horowitz Law have handled hundreds of clergy sexual abuse cases involving various religious institutions, including the Archdiocese of Baltimore. These cases have arisen in religious schools, churches/parishes, seminaries, religious counseling, retreats, schools, and other activities sponsored by religious institutions.
In these cases, the lawyers of Horowitz Law have often prevailed on complex issues involving statutes of limitations, the First Amendment, and the discovery of “confidential” records that the Catholic Church has tried to conceal for nearly a century in some cases. In fighting these battles, our attorneys have become very familiar with the church’s unique hierarchy, record-keeping policies, terminology, and defense tactics and are often called upon by colleagues to consult on these matters.
Most importantly, we have become familiar with the unique challenges and needs of survivors of clergy sexual abuse – and their families – during the legal process. Your safety and well-being are always our first priority.
Through our own investigation, we have identified 202 clergy and employees in the Archdiocese of Baltimore who have been accused of sexual abuse and misconduct.
Truth is power. Through our own efforts, our lawyers have compiled what we believe is the most comprehensive list of priests and other clergies who have worked in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and the list is expected to grow as more survivors come forward to speak their truth. So far, we have identified a staggering 201 clergy and employees publicly accused of sexual abuse and sexual misconduct. In many cases, the people listed below were merely transferred from parish to parish after allegations arose and left a long trail of victims across the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
- Fr. Louis John Affrica
- Deacon William S. Albaugh
- Fr. Michael Amy
- Br. James Avant (Capuchins)
- Fr. Francis Bach
- Fr. Bruce Ball (Diocese of LaCrosse)
- Fr. John Banko (Diocese of Trenton/Diocese of Metuchen)
- Fr. Michael L. Barber (Jesuits)
- Fr. Michael L. Barnes
- Fr. Thomas J. Bauernfeind
- Fr. W. Vincent Bechtel
- Fr. John F.X. Bellwoar (Jesuits)
- Fr. Ronald Belschner
- Fr. Thomas R. Bevan
- Fr. Maurice Blackwell
- Fr. Louis Bonacci (Jesuits)
- Fr. John Bostwick (Diocese of Richmond)
- Fr. Francis Bourbon (Jesuits)
- Fr. H. Cornell Bradley (Jesuits)
- Fr. William A. Braun (Sulpician)
- Fr. Laurence Brett (Diocese of Bridgeport)
- Fr. Frederick Brinkmann (Redemptorist)
- Fr. Joseph Brocato (Xaverians)
- Lay Teacher Stephen Brotzman
- Fr. Wayland Brown
- Fr. Gerard Bugge (Redemptorist)
- Br. William (Francis Jerome) Burns (Xaverians)
- Fr. C. Jeffries Burton (Jesuits)
- Fr. Robert Callahan
- Fr. John Carney
- Fr. Douglas Carroll (Pallotines)
- Mr. Frank Cimino, Jr.
- Fr. Robert Cofenas (Diocese of Allentown)
- Msgr. John J. Corbett
- Fr. Brian Cox
- Fr. Charles G. Coyle (Jesuits)
- Fr. Fernando Cristancho (Diocese of Istmina-Tado)
- Fr. Robert B. Cullen (Jesuits)
- Fr. John Danilak
- Fr. Joseph Davies
- Fr. Richard Deakin (Capuchins)
- Fr. Alfred Dean (Josephite)
- Fr. Martin Demek
- Fr. Douglas Dempster (Wilmington)
- Br. Donald Dimitroff (Christian Brothers)
- Br. Francis E. Dolan (Xaverians)
- Fr. James Dowdy
- Fr. Thomas J. Doyle (Marianists)
- Fr. Robert Duerr
- Fr. John Duggan (Jesuit)
- Fr. Frederick Duke
- Fr. Walter Emala
- Fr. Francis Ernst (Jesuit)
- Fr. Luigi Esposito (Vincentian)
- Fr. Terence Evans
- Fr. Alfred Ewanowski (Franciscans)
- Fr. Kenneth Farabaugh
- Fr. Alphonsus Figlewski
- Dn. Joseph Firlie
- Bishop Carl Fisher (Josephite)
- Br. Robert Flaherty (Xaverian)
- Sr. Theonella Flood
- Fr. Sylvan Fondriest (Capuchin)
- Fr. Daniel Free (Passionist)
- Fr. Joseph Gallagher
- Fr. John Gallen (Jesuits)
- Br. George Gardiner (Xaverians)
- Fr. Stephen Garrity (Jesuits)
- Fr. John Geinzer
- Fr. Joseph Gerg (Benedictines)
- Fr. Steven Girard
- Fr. Mark Haight
- Fr. John Hammer
- Fr. Thomas Harrison
- Fr. Edward Heilman
- Fr. Marion Helowicz
- Fr. Joseph Hill (Vincentian)
- Msgr. Robert Hiltz
- Fr. George Hopkins
- Fr. Joseph Hopkins
- Fr. Robert Hopkins
- Fr. Guillermo Izquierdo (Legionaries of Christ)
- Fr. William Jameson
- Fr. Stephen Jeselnick
- Fr. Albert Julian
- Dn. John Justice
- Br. Thomas F. Kelly (Benedict Joseph) (Xaverians)
- Fr. Thomas M. Kelly
- Fr. Joseph Kenney
- Fr. Simon Kenny
- Fr. Walter Klick (Marianists)
- Fr. Paul Knapp (Redemptorists)
- Fr. Michael Kolodziej (Franciscans)
- Fr. Joseph Krach
- Fr. William Earl (“Jay”) Krouse
- Fr. Joseph Kruse
- Dn. Thom Kuhl
- Fr. Michael Kuhn
- Fr. Michael LaMountain
- Br. Xavier Langan (Christian Brothers)
- Fr. James Lannon (Sulpician)
- Fr. Ross A. LaPorta
- Fr. Regis Larkin
- Fr. David Leary
- Fr. Thomas B. Lee
- Fr. Francis LeFevre
- Fr. Robert Lentz
- Br. Robert Lindemann (Marianists)
- Fr. Phillip Linden (Josephite)
- Fr. John Lippold
- Fr. Robert Lochner
- Fr. Arthur Long (Jesuits)
- Fr. Anthony Lorento (Pallottines)
- Fr. George Loskarn
- Fr. Samuel Lupico
- Fr. Edward Neil Magnus
- Fr. Ronald Mardaga
- Fr. Kenneth Martin
- Fr. A. Joseph Maskell
- Fr. Arthur Maurer (Josephites)
- Fr. Benedict Mawn (Passionist)
- Fr. John J. McCarthy (Jesuits)
- Br. William McCarthy (Constantine) (Xaverians)
- Msgr. William McCrory
- Fr. M. Francis McGrath
- Fr. Eugene Ambrose McGuire (Passionist)
- Fr. Neil P. McLaughlin (Jesuits)
- Br. John J. McMahon (Damian) (Xaverians)
- Br. Lawrence C. Meegan (Luanus) (Xaverians)
- Fr. Raymond Melville
- Fr. Romuald Meogrossi (Franciscans)
- John Merzbacher
- Fr. Joseph Messer
- Fr. Ronald Michaud
- Fr. Robert Michele (Paulist)
- Fr. William Migliorini
- Fr. John Mike, Jr.
- Fr. Michael Miller (Conventual Franciscan)
- Fr. Jerome Moody (Redemptorists)
- Br. Eugene Morgan
- Br. William Morgan
- Fr. Paschal Morlino
- Br. Thomas Morrissey (Gabriel) (Xaverians)
- Fr. John Mountain
- Fr. Timothy Murphy (Trinitarians)
- Fr. James Glenn Murray (Jesuits)
- Fr. Alan Nagle
- Fr. Robert Victor Newman (Sons of Charity)
- Dn. Leo O’Hara
- Fr. Joseph O’Meara
- Mr. Brian Olkowski (seminarian)
- Fr. Garrett Orr (Jesuits)
- Fr. Claude Ory (Jesuits)
- Br. Donald O’Toole (Alois) (Xaverians)
- Fr. Henry O’Toole (Redemptorists)
- Fr. John Padian (Diocese of Brooklyn)
- Msgr. John B. Peacock
- Br. Dennis Pecore (Salvatorians)
- Fr. Adrian Poletti (Passionists)
- Br. Edward Powers (Kyrin) (Xaverians)
- Fr. William Presley (Diocese of Erie)
- Eric Price
- Fr. Blair Raum
- Fr. Thomas Rochacewicz (Redemptorists)
- Fr. Francis Roscetti (Capuchins)
- Fr. Charles Rouse
- Fr. Thomas Rydzewski
- Fr. Michael Salerno (Pallotines)
- Br. John Jeron Shea (Xaverians)
- Fr. John J. Sheehan (Marianists)
- Fr. Edward Sheehy (Paulist)
- Br. Marius John Shine (Marius) (Xaverians)
- Fr. William Q. Simms
- Fr. David Smith
- Fr. Richard Smith
- Fr. Thomas W. Smith
- Fr. Michael Spillane
- Fr. Albert Stallings
- Fr. Carl Steffen (Diocese of Harrisburg)
- Fr. William McSherry Stock
- Fr. Edmund Stroup
- Fr. Cuthbert Sullivan
- Fr. Francis Michael Sweeney (Paulist)
- Fr. Alcuin W. Tasch (Benedictines)
- Br. Joseph Thibault (Cuthbert) (Xaverians)
- Br. Thomas Tomasunas
- Fr. Jerome Toohey
- Fr. James Toulas (Redemptorists)
- Fr. Gerald Tragesser
- Fr. Urbano Vazquez-Ortega (Capuchins)
- Fr. Jorge Antonio Velez-Lopez (Tertiary Capuchins)
- Fr. William Virtue (Dioceses of Joliet and Peoria)
- Fr. Rudolph Vorisek (Paulists)
- Fr. Francis Wagner
- Fr. William Walsh (Jesuits)
- Fr. William Wehrle (Jesuits)
- Msgr. Thomas Whelan
- Fr. John T. Wielebski
- Msgr. Roger Wooden
- Fr. Howard Yeakle
- Sr. Francis Yocum
- Msgr. Henry Zerhusen
- Fr. Raynor Ziemski (Franciscans)
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Our lawyers are now offering free legal consultations to discuss a potential lawsuit and your other options as a survivor of sexual abuse by priests and other employees of the Baltimore Archdiocese. Your chance to pursue legal action may soon be over. Most victims of abuse will never be able to recover damages if they miss the temporary window to file a lawsuit, so please contact us to discuss your case today. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to [email protected].