Victims of child sexual abuse linked to the Roman Catholic Baltimore Archdiocese will have a third chance to be seen and tell their stories.

On Monday, Judge Michelle Harner ordered a two-hour status conference for Oct. 6 at 1 p.m., meant to raise awareness of and understanding for sexual abuse victims of the Baltimore Archdiocese.

In February, a cyberattack on a law firm, Stinson LLP, representing Catholic Church sex abuse survivors, stole confidential data related to the Baltimore Archdiocese’s bankruptcy case and sex abuse survivors. A ransomware attack happened in March that affected a consulting firm for dozens of Catholic Church cases, including the same bankruptcy case.

Both breaches included personal information of sexual abuse victims with claims against the Baltimore Archdiocese. Lawyers with the consulting firm have denied that information from the breach appeared online.

The Baltimore Archdiocese, America’s oldest Catholic archdiocese, filed for bankruptcy in 2023 ahead of the Maryland Child Victims Act becoming law. The act removed the statute of limitations for when child abuse victims can sue their perpetrators.

The bankruptcy filing was meant to limit liability for damages and conserve assets while lawsuits were readied and filed against the archdiocese.

The statements from the conference will not be considered evidence by the court, nor will it be part of the official record for the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case. However, Harner said the conference gives victims of the archdiocese a chance to use the court setting as a platform to speak about their experiences before a decision is made on the case.

“The status conference is just that — an opportunity for Survivors to check in with the Court and, more importantly, the Debtor and other parties in this case and share their perspective,” Judge Harner said in her memorandum opinion on the order. “The status conference is not evidentiary in nature. No party will be testifying or offering evidence or legal argument. The Court will not be adjudicating any matters.”

Two similar hearings took place in April and May 2024.

________

©2025 The Baltimore Sun. Visit at baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.