A new report from Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell documents decades of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester, along with institutional failures that allowed abuse to continue. For survivors, its findings may confirm what they have known for years: people entrusted with their safety failed them, and church leaders too often protected the institution at their expense.
The report also brings renewed attention to legislation that would allow survivors to pursue civil claims even when existing filing deadlines have expired. Those reforms have not become law. But survivors do not have to wait for legislative action to speak with an attorney about their circumstances and understand their options.
What the Investigation Found
Beginning in 2019, investigators reviewed more than 300,000 pages of records and interviewed more than 100 people. The report tallies 275 accused clergy and 944 survivors across the three dioceses. It cautions that these figures include allegations without filtering them through a credibility assessment and do not provide an exact accounting of all abuse. Underreporting and inadequate records make the full scope difficult to determine.
The findings describe church officials ignoring allegations, transferring abusive priests without warning the communities receiving them, and returning priests to ministry without adequate supervision. These decisions left additional children exposed to harm. The report also describes secrecy and failures to involve law enforcement.
Although the Attorney General acknowledges improvements since 2002, the investigation identifies continuing weaknesses in oversight, investigations, recordkeeping, and enforcement of restrictions on accused priests. It also calls on the Worcester Diocese to publish a list of credibly accused clergy, as the other Massachusetts dioceses have done.
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Why Survivors Need a Meaningful Opportunity to Seek Justice
Childhood sexual abuse can affect a person long after the abuse ends. The report includes survivors’ accounts of the consequences for their relationships, education, work, and well-being. Coming forward can be especially difficult when the abuser held religious authority or when earlier attempts to seek help were dismissed.
A filing deadline can expire before a survivor is ready to disclose what happened or understands how the abuse has affected their life. That delay should not relieve a negligent institution of responsibility. At Jenner Law, we support legislation that gives survivors a meaningful opportunity to present their claims and hold responsible institutions accountable.
What House Bill 1829 Would Change
House Bill 1829, introduced by Representative John J. Lawn, Jr., would eliminate the civil statute of limitations for claims alleging sexual abuse of a minor. It would also eliminate the deadline for claims alleging that another defendant negligently supervised the abuser or engaged in conduct that caused or contributed to the abuse.
The bill would revive claims that have already expired under Massachusetts law. For a revived claim against an entity that employed or supervised the alleged abuser, however, the bill expressly requires a finding of negligence before damages may be awarded against that entity. Survivors would still need to establish the legal basis for their claims; removing a filing deadline does not establish liability by itself.
As of October 1, 2026, H.1829 has not been enacted. On March 26, 2026, the bill was sent to a study order (H.5281), which ordinarily means it will not advance this session. H.1829 should be understood as a proposed reform, not a right currently available to survivors, and reform will likely require a new bill when the Legislature convenes in January 2027.
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The Attorney General Is Also Calling for an End to the Charitable Cap
Alongside the report’s release, Attorney General Campbell called for eliminating civil filing deadlines for child sexual abuse claims, creating an indefinite opportunity to bring previously expired claims, and eliminating Massachusetts’ $20,000 charitable-immunity cap for these cases.
The cap can sharply limit recovery against qualifying charitable institutions even when their negligence is established. H.1829 addresses filing deadlines and revival of claims; the bill as filed does not eliminate that cap. Both barriers deserve legislative attention so that survivors can obtain fair compensation from the institutions responsible for their harm.
We urge Massachusetts lawmakers to act on these recommendations. The survivors who shared their experiences have helped establish a public record of what happened. The Legislature should use that record to remove barriers to civil accountability.
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Our Experience Representing Abuse Survivors
At Jenner Law, our work on behalf of clergy abuse survivors in Maryland informs our commitment to survivors in Massachusetts. Robert K. Jenner is the founder of Jenner Law, P.C., and a trial attorney with more than 40 years of experience representing people harmed by negligence and abuse. Licensed in Maryland and Massachusetts, he is a former president of the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association and an advocate for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. He has served as co-lead counsel and liaison counsel in mass tort litigation in Massachusetts state and federal courts.
Rob Jenner has advocated for Maryland’s Child Victims Act and worked with co-counsel to defend it against constitutional challenges. Their representation of survivors before the Supreme Court of Maryland helped secure a ruling upholding the law’s constitutionality.
Our firm represents survivors of sexual abuse in cases involving Catholic schools, parishes, and religious orders. Through this work, we have seen how institutional secrecy and legal barriers can delay accountability for decades, and why survivors deserve compassionate representation and a real chance to be heard.
You Can Speak With Jenner Law Now
If you experienced childhood sexual abuse involving a priest, religious brother, nun, or another person associated with a Massachusetts church or school, we invite you to contact us. You may have questions about whether a claim is still possible, whether an institution can be held responsible, or what proposed changes in the law could mean for you.
Jenner Law has offices in Maryland and Massachusetts. We are proud to have a 5.0-star rating on Google, and we are grateful to those who have shared their experiences with our firm. We have secured millions of dollars on behalf of survivors of clergy sexual abuse and other forms of sexual abuse. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
When you contact Jenner Law, you will work closely with Mary Beth Diaz, our Senior Paralegal who leads the team supporting clergy abuse survivors every day. Mary Beth’s connection to this work is personal. Her mother was abused by a priest from the age of sixteen until she was twenty, and the memories did not surface until many years later. As Mary Beth shares in her own words, her mother “suffered trauma beyond trauma, and still was able to be a very successful, functioning, loving, amazing woman.” Mary Beth has more than 32 years of personal injury litigation experience and has completed intensive trauma and cognitive interview training at the Center for Hope in Baltimore. Her calm, empathetic approach helps survivors feel heard from the first conversation.
We approach these conversations with respect for the difficulty of discussing what happened. You do not need to have every date, document, or answer ready before reaching out.
Do not assume that the passage of time rules out a claim. Under current Massachusetts law, many survivors can still file within 35 years of the abuse, a period that does not begin to run until age 18, or within seven years of discovering how the abuse caused their injuries, whichever is later. At the same time, do not assume that proposed legislation has already revived an expired claim. Your options depend on the facts and the law that applies. Speaking with us can help you understand those options without committing you to file a lawsuit.
Call Jenner Law at 508-257-0224 or 888-585-2188 for a free, confidential consultation. You can also contact us through our website. If you have never spoken about the abuse, or were previously told it was too late to bring a claim, we are available to listen and review your circumstances.
Sources
Attorney General’s report and survivor resources
Attorney General’s September 30 announcement and legislative recommendations