Sexual Assault Attorneys in Maryland: Your Complete Legal Guide

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Maryland’s Child Victims Act lets a survivor of sexual abuse as a minor sue “at any time,” including for abuse whose earlier deadline had already passed, and it overrides the state and local Tort Claims Acts. In 2025 the legislature kept that rule but halved the damages caps for revived claims filed on or after June 1, 2025, capped attorney fees, and closed revived claims against the State after December 31, 2025. Adult survivors face much shorter periods, including one year for an assault claim. Below are those rules, the criminal position, questions for a lawyer, and four firms that represent survivors in Maryland.

In an emergency, call 911. The Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault has a toll-free line at 1-800-983-7273, and the National Sexual Assault Hotline is 1-800-656-4673.

The Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article sections below were read on the Maryland General Assembly’s website in October 2026, and the 2025 amendments are taken from CHILD USA’s reading of the enrolled chapter law. The page is general information, not advice on a specific claim.

Abuse as a Minor: “May Be Filed at Any Time”

As CHILD USA quotes it, Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-117(b) provides: “Except as provided under subsection (d) of this section and notwithstanding any time limitation under a statute of limitations, a statute of repose, the Maryland Tort Claims Act, the Local Government Tort Claims Act, or any other law, an action for damages arising out of a claim or claims of sexual abuse that occurred while the victim was a minor may be filed at any time.”

“Sexual abuse” under § 5-117(a) covers an adult allowing or encouraging a child to engage in obscene or pornographic photography, films, or poses, or in prostitution; incest; rape; sexual offense in any degree; and other sexual conduct that is a crime. The Supreme Court of Maryland upheld the retroactive application of the Act in Roman Catholic Archbishop of Washington v. Doe, decided February 3, 2025, according to CHILD USA.

The 2025 Amendments: Lower Caps, a Fee Limit, and a State Cutoff

House Bill 1378, chapter 104 of 2025, effective June 1, 2025, changed the value and reach of revived claims, meaning claims that “would have been barred by a time limitation before October 1, 2023.” CHILD USA reports:

  • Private defendants (§ 5-117(c)): noneconomic damages against a single defendant may not exceed $1,500,000 for an action filed on or before May 31, 2025, and $700,000 for an action filed on or after June 1, 2025.
  • The State and county boards of education: the 2025 Act set parallel limits for public defendants of $890,000 for actions filed on or before May 31, 2025 and $400,000 for actions filed on or after June 1, 2025.
  • Attorney fees (§ 5-117(e)): in actions filed on or after June 1, 2025, “counsel may not charge or receive fees that exceed: (1) 20% of the settlement; or (2) 25% of the judgment.”
  • Conditions on revived claims (§ 5-117(d)): a revived action may not be brought if the alleged victim is deceased when the action begins, and an action against the State or a unit of State government may not be filed on or after January 1, 2026.

CHILD USA notes that the General Assembly’s online code page still showed the older version of subsection (d) when it checked, while the enrolled 2025 chapter law contains the State cutoff. A survivor with a claim against a State agency should have a lawyer confirm which text is in force.

Adult Survivors: One Year for Assault, Three for Other Claims

Two sections of the Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article apply. Section 5-105 provides: “An action for assault, libel, or slander shall be filed within one year from the date it accrues.” Section 5-101 provides the general rule: “A civil action at law shall be filed within three years from the date it accrues unless another provision of the Code provides a different period of time within which an action shall be commenced.”

Which section governs a particular claim depends on how it is framed, so an adult survivor needs a lawyer to fix the dates for each claim and each defendant soon after the assault.

No General Felony Limit; Misdemeanors Under § 5-106

CHILD USA reports that Maryland has no general limitation period for felony prosecutions; § 5-106 of the Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article limits misdemeanors. Under § 5-106(a), a misdemeanor prosecution “shall be instituted within 1 year after the offense was committed,” subject to exceptions. One exception concerns child abuse directly: under § 5-106(z), a prosecution for a misdemeanor fourth degree sexual offense under § 3-308(c), or under § 3-308(b)(1) if the victim was a minor, “shall be instituted within 3 years after the offense was committed.”

The civil rule in § 5-117 does not depend on any prosecution.

Working Through a Maryland Claim

The date of filing now matters as much as the date of abuse. Gather the dates of the abuse, the survivor’s age at the time, and the names of every person and organization involved, including any public body. Then settle with a lawyer:

  1. Is the claim a revived claim, one that would have been barred before October 1, 2023, so that the 2025 caps apply?
  2. What noneconomic damages limit applies to each defendant, private or public?
  3. Is any defendant the State or a unit of State government, given the January 1, 2026 cutoff for revived claims?
  4. For an adult assault, does the one-year rule in § 5-105 or the three-year rule in § 5-101 govern each claim?
  5. How does the fee limit in § 5-117(e) appear in the engagement agreement?
  6. Does the firm represent the Archdiocese of Baltimore, a school system, or an insurer that may be involved?

Maryland Sexual Assault Attorneys

Miller & Zois, LLC

Miller & Zois is a Baltimore plaintiff trial firm led by Ronald V. Miller Jr. and Laura G. Zois, both of whom have more than 30 years of experience representing injury victims. Ron Miller previously represented pharmaceutical companies and insurance carriers on the defense side – he now uses that experience exclusively to fight for injury victims. Miller is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a Super Lawyers selectee, and has been named one of the top 40 elite attorneys in Maryland by SmartCEO. He holds a perfect 10.0 Avvo rating and has taught insurance law at the University of Baltimore School of Law for over 20 years. Laura Zois graduated with honors from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1995, has been named a Super Lawyer annually since 2008, is consistently ranked among the Top 50 Women Lawyers and Top 100 Lawyers in Maryland, and received the Trial Lawyer of the Year award in 2022 following a $2 million verdict in a sexual abuse lawsuit against a medical provider.

The firm has recovered over $100 million in verdicts and settlements. Its sexual abuse practice pursues claims against perpetrators and the organizations that enabled them – including churches, medical practices, employers, and youth programs. Miller & Zois actively tracks CVA litigation developments and filed claims against the Archdiocese of Baltimore and other institutions under the new law. The firm provides free, confidential consultations and works exclusively on a contingency fee basis.

Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A.

Plaxen Adler Muncy is one of Maryland’s most established plaintiff personal injury firms, founded in 1985 and practicing exclusively in injury law for more than 40 years. The firm has nine office locations throughout Maryland including Columbia, Baltimore, Dundalk, Frederick, Gambrills, Owings Mills, Seabrook, Silver Spring, and Westminster, and has received the AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell – the highest peer rating available. All attorneys at Plaxen Adler Muncy have completed trauma-informed training for representing sexual assault and abuse survivors.

Founding senior partner Bruce Plaxen is recognized as a leader in the plaintiffs’ bar in Maryland and nationally. Partner David A. Muncy graduated magna cum laude from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2012 and became a partner in 2017; he is a member of the Maryland Association for Justice and focused on sexual assault and abuse civil claims alongside the firm’s broader personal injury practice. The firm represents victims of sexual assault and abuse, identifies all potentially liable organizations and businesses that employed or enabled perpetrators, and handles cases on a contingency basis with no fee unless compensation is recovered. Available 24/7. Free consultations.

Levy Konigsberg LLP (Maryland Practice)

Levy Konigsberg is a nationally recognized trial firm that has recovered over $3 billion in sexual abuse compensation for survivors. In Maryland, the firm has represented survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, survivors of physician sexual abuse at Maryland hospitals and medical systems, and hundreds of survivors abused in Maryland’s juvenile detention system – filing over 800 juvenile detention abuse lawsuits before the June 1, 2025 damages cap reduction took effect. Levy Konigsberg has been at the forefront of CVA litigation and has extensive experience evaluating whether previously time-barred claims are revivable under the act’s retroactive provisions.

The firm handles complex institutional abuse cases against powerful defendants including prisons, schools, clergy organizations, and government agencies. Cases are handled on a contingency basis with no cost to hire and no fee unless compensation is recovered. Free, confidential consultations are available.

Andreozzi + Foote

Andreozzi + Foote is one of the few legal teams nationally that takes sexual abuse cases to trial rather than settling exclusively. The firm represents Maryland survivors with a tailored legal strategy for each case, pursues both direct claims against perpetrators and institutional negligence claims, and connects survivors with trusted therapists and other support resources during the litigation process. The firm handles cases on a contingency fee basis and offers free, confidential consultations.

Frequently Asked Questions

I was abused as a child in the 1980s. Can I still sue in Maryland?

Yes, subject to the 2025 limits. Section 5-117(b) allows filing at any time, including for claims that had expired before October 1, 2023. A revived claim against a private defendant filed on or after June 1, 2025 is subject to the lower $700,000 noneconomic damages cap per defendant, and a revived claim against the State or a unit of State government may not be filed on or after January 1, 2026.

The abuse happened in a State-run facility. Can I still file a revived claim?

Not on or after January 1, 2026, under the 2025 amendment to § 5-117(d) as CHILD USA reads the enrolled law. A lawyer should confirm the subsection as it stands in force.

I was assaulted as an adult. Is the deadline three years?

It depends on the claim. Section 5-105 sets one year for an action for assault, while § 5-101 sets three years for civil actions generally.

Can a family member file for a survivor who has died?

Not for a revived claim. Section 5-117(d) bars an action if the alleged victim is deceased when it begins.

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