These law firms are teaming up to represent abuse survivors ahead of archdiocese report’s release

A group of area law firms have formed a coalition to represent childhood sexual abuse survivors ahead of the impending release of the Maryland attorney general’s report on clergy abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

The announcement was made as Maryland lawmakers are also close to passing the Child Victims Act of 2023, which would allow survivors to bring lawsuits even if their abuse claims expired under a previous statute of limitations.

Each of the three personal injury firms – Jenner Law, Baird Mandalas Brockstedt Federico & Cardea LLC and Grant & Eisenhofer P.A. – brings experience handling cases involving sexual abuse.

“We’re tremendously excited about this partnership,” said Robert K. Jenner, who established his own firm in 2018. “It’s going to be really ground-breaking for people who are seeking guidance and assistance in litigation.”

Jenner said that he, along with Beth Graham, a principal with Grant & Eisenhofer, and Philip C. Federico, a Baltimore-based partner at Baird Mandalas Brockstedt Federico & Cardea, bring over 100 years of experience representing abuse survivors and other plaintiffs.

“We thought it was a good opportunity to bring skillsets that overlap, and that are different, to survivors of clergy abuse,” Jenner said.

Abuse survivors will be able to call any of the three firms for intake and will receive the combined legal expertise of all three firms, he said.

The Maryland Attorney General’s Office is expected any day to release a 456-page report into the history of clergy sexual abuse and coverups in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The report is expected to identify 158 priests accused of sexual abuse, including 43 that have never been publicly named — though many names will be redacted under a court-ordered review process.

The years-long investigation also identified more than 600 victims of childhood sexual abuse stretching back decades.

The upcoming release of the report spurred new action from lawmakers, who this year are the closest they have ever been to passing a retroactive “lookback window” that would allow survivors to bring expired claims against abusers and the institutions that protected them.

The lookback legislation has passed the Maryland Senate, an obstacle it has never been able to overcome in the past, and is widely expected to pass in the House of Delegates. The bill under consideration would also abolish the statute of limitations for all future childhood sexual abuse lawsuits.

The report’s release and the possible passage of the Child Victims Act could lead to a swell of lawsuits against the Archdiocese and other institutions.

“We commend the fearlessness of survivors of clergy abuse who come forward and view it as our solemn duty to ensure they can hold their abuser accountable,” Graham said in a news release announcing the partnership of the three law firms.

“Without their bravery, we would be unable to hold these perpetrators accountable for the harm they have inflicted upon children of the church.”

Graham leads the complex pharmaceutical and medical device litigation practice at her firm, which also represents adult survivors of sexual abuse.

“We are proud to be joining a team of lawyers who have already made such an impact in the lives of clergy sexual abuse survivors in Baltimore,” said Federico, who recently left his longtime firm to join Baird Mandalas Brockstedt Federico & Cardea.

Federico worked with Baird Mandalas in 2009 as part of a team that won a $123 million settlement for sexual abuse victims of Delaware pediatrician Earl Bradley.

“We look forward to obtaining justice for the courageous individuals who were harmed by members of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and others throughout our state,” he said.

Originally published in The Daily Record by Madeleine O’Neill.