Dozens of sexual assault survivors filled the seats of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Thursday afternoon as the panel considered a measure to get rid of the statute of limitations for filing civil lawsuits. And after emotional testimony from Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles), a survivor of abuse himself, they stood up behind him in silent solidarity.
Some of the survivors, wearing all white, carried pictures of their younger selves. Jena Cochrane held a photo of herself, at 12 years old, wearing a red dress with white lace trim and a flower in her hair. Six months later she would be raped, changing her life forever.
Though she has testified on bills as an advocate for children in the past, this year is the first time Cochrane shared her own story with lawmakers. She wants them to understand why abuse victims may take years to come to terms with what happened before seeking justice in civil courts.
“You as a victim sometimes get a life sentence, while the law protects perpetrators with a statute of limitations,” Cochrane said. “That’s not fair. We want an opportunity so that when we’re brave enough to come forward, we have a platform to speak.”
Wilson has sponsored House Bill 687, or the Hidden Predator Act of 2019. The bill would get rid of the state’s statute of limitations for civil claims against perpetrators of child sex abuse – and would also include a two-year look-back window, a time in which victims could bring claims in cases where the previous statute of limitations has expired...
“You as a victim sometimes get a life sentence, while the law protects perpetrators with a statute of limitations,” Cochrane said. “That’s not fair. We want an opportunity so that when we’re brave enough to come forward, we have a platform to speak.”
ReplyDeleteAlso, this lightens the workload of the law enforcers.
Delete"Sen. Jill P. Carter (D-Baltimore City) said it was difficult to vote against the measure, but the current statute is the longest in Maryland civil law AND, IF an abuser is convicted criminally, all victims have a three-year window to pursue civil claims, no matter their age."
ReplyDeleteTaking lessons from Annapolis.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/pennsylvania/articles/2019-04-04/pennsylvania-house-to-again-consider-child-sex-abuse-bills
Last minute machinations at the end of the session?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.marylandmatters.org/2019/04/05/with-maneuver-house-panel-tries-to-move-laura-reids-law-and-hidden-predator-act-together/