
A clergy sexual abuse attorney at Jenner Law can hold the liable parties accountable if you or a loved one suffered childhood sexual abuse at St. Thomas Aquinas School in Baltimore. No one should have to go through this process alone. We will be there for you and with you every step of the way as we pursue compensation and hold the liable parties responsible for the harm they caused.
Sexual abuse can affect a person for a lifetime. Our attorneys will seek justice for survivors and accountability from the credibly accused abusers and those who allowed the abuse to go on through their coverup of childhood sexual abuse.
Our Attorneys Will Build Your Childhood Sexual Abuse Case
When we work on childhood sexual abuse cases, we listen to our clients’ stories and learn about what happened to them. If you trust us with your case, we will do the same for you.
We will investigate the situation to gather the evidence to establish your claims against the individual clergy member or institution involved in the abuse. However, our investigation does not stop with one individual or institution. We also go after those who protected the abuser and allowed the abuse to continue. Those in authority over the abusers had a duty to protect the minors in their care and report sexual abuse allegations to law enforcement.
We also work with experts who can quantify your damages, including healthcare professionals and mental health experts. They can explain to the court the abuse’s impact on your life.
We also hold the liable parties accountable and demand they compensate you for the losses and other damages you experienced. If the defendants do not settle your claim for a fair amount, we can take your case to trial.
There are, of course, other steps we will take to recover your damages. We take the appropriate measures in each case, dictated by the circumstances of each situation and the desired outcome.
The Child Victims Act of 2023 Allows Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors to Sue for Damages
In April 2023, Maryland passed The Child Victims Act of 2023. This act allowed parties who experienced childhood sexual abuse to pursue damages against those who harmed them, including the institutions that knew about the abuse but allowed it to continue. It also enables any childhood sexual abuse survivors who couldn’t sue before because of an expired statute of limitations deadline.
Our Maryland sexual abuse lawyers can review your damages to see if you could recover damages under the new law.
- If your case involves a government agency, your damages would be capped at $890,000 per claim.
- If your case involves a private institution, we could seek unlimited economic damages, such as for your medical bills. However, non-economic damages, like post-traumatic stress, have a $1.5 million cap.
Recoverable Damages in Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases Involving St. Thomas Aquinas School
A survivor of childhood sexual abuse at St. Thomas Aquinas School in Baltimore could go after compensation for their losses, which can include:
- Healthcare costs related to the abuse
- Mental health treatment
- Physical pain and emotional distress
Winning a clergy sexual abuse case goes beyond money—these cases help get the truth out and bring abusers to justice. Even with limited criminal cases against the abusers, the proof and evidence can help with our mission for accountability. Still, the survivors usually must take action in the civil courts to receive financial compensation for what they endured. Jenner Law helps survivors of childhood sexual abuse seek the results that matter to them.
Investigation of the Allegations of Childhood Sexual Abuse at St. Thomas Aquinas School in the Baltimore Area
News stories of the sexual abuse of minors by clergy have existed for decades. The Maryland Attorney General’s Office investigated the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the results of which are contained in their 463-page report they published in April of 2023.
The Attorney General’s Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore named two accused abusers at the St. Thomas Aquinas School in Baltimore:
- Father David Leary, Associate Pastor in 1961-67
- Monsignor Thomas A. Whelan, Assistant, 1946-57
The Archdiocese of Baltimore acknowledged many allegations involving clergy members in its List of Priests and Brothers Accused of Child Sexual Abuse.
What Our Baltimore Childhood Sexual Abuse Clients Can Expect from Us
Survivors of childhood sexual abuse at St. Thomas Aquinas School likely struggle to trust others after having their trust shattered by their abusers. We understand this fact, so we are up front about what our clergy sexual abuse can expect when we handle their cases. You can count on your Jenner Law legal team to:
- Create a personalized legal services strategy for your case. Every childhood sexual abuse case is different, so we don’t use a cookie-cutter approach.
- Listen to you and take your concerns and priorities seriously. After the betrayal of trust that you experienced in childhood, you deserve better, and our sexual abuse attorneys will deliver.
- We do not require you to get more involved in the legal process than you want. Your privacy and well-being are vital, so we do not jeopardize them by pushing you beyond your comfort zone.
- We will take your case on contingency, which means we do not charge upfront attorney’s fees on the clergy sexual abuse cases we handle. Most individuals could not afford to litigate against the Catholic Church using their own financial resources. We only get paid when you get a settlement or win in court; our fee is a percentage. We do not think that you should have to risk your financial future to seek justice.
- You receive the benefit of our extensive experience in handling sexual abuse cases. We know their lawyers’ defense strategies and how to counter those moves. We expect them to minimize their actions and even deny they did anything wrong.
- We treat childhood sexual abuse survivors with compassion, respect, and dignity. You are not a number to us. You are a human being who deserves justice and accountability.
How the Catholic Church Covered Up Childhood Sexual Abuse at St. Thomas Aquinas School
The Maryland Attorney General Office’s report stated that the individual abusers were not the only ones to blame for the rampant sexual misconduct within the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The Church covered up the actions of the clergy, and these coverups allowed sexual abuse to continue.
Churches moved priests from parish to parish, subjecting unsuspecting parishioners to sexual abuse. Church officials failed to report crimes committed by priests, including the sexual abuse of minors. The church hierarchy characterized sexual exploitation of children as a mental health disorder rather than a crime.
Call Us – We Help Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse at St. Thomas Aquinas School in Baltimore
Clergy sexual abuse attorneys at Jenner Law are dedicated to going after the justice that survivors of childhood sexual abuse at St. Thomas Aquinas School in Baltimore deserve.
We offer a free consultation with no obligation. You can reach out to us today to get started.