Adults who were sexually abused by State of Maryland employees while in the care of the state’s juvenile detention centers over the last five decades, gathered in front of Baltimore City Hall today to demand that the state stay true to its 2023 pledge to address their injuries.
Survivor after survivor stood on the podium, announced their name, and shared their story to the crowd and TV cameras assembled before them.
“My name is Nalisha Gibbs and I am a survivor,” Gibbs told the crowd, “Today I stand before you as someone who was subjected to abuse while in the custody of the Maryland juvenile facility, a system that was meant to protect and rehabilitate young people like me.”
Gibbs was just 13 years old when she was sent to a juvenile detention center after breaking curfew by 15 minutes.
“My detainment was only supposed to be for 30 days, but the ramifications lasted me a lifetime,” said Gibbs. “This is a 35-year journey for me.”
In 2023, the State of Maryland passed the Child Victims Act, which lifted the 20-year statute of limitations on sexual abuse lawsuits against public and private entities, including government agencies, allowing adults who suffered abuse as children to sue the state for justice. More than 4,000 adults who were children in those centers have pursued claims since the legislature’s action in 2023.
The Attorney General of the State of Maryland had been negotiating with plaintiffs until earlier this month, when his office filed a motion to dismiss one of the plaintiff’s claims in Fredrick County. Along with the motion to dismiss, the Attorney General filed a motion for a protective order to prevent plaintiffs from seeking discovery while the motion to dismiss was being considered. The Attorney General also moved to delay the proceedings in the other cases, against the wishes of plaintiffs.
“What happened to the survivors of the state’s systemic abuse is not just a burden they must carry alone – it is a responsibility we all share,” said Kristen Gibbons Feden, co-leader of the Anapol Weiss Institutional Abuse practice. Anapol Weiss is co-counsel with Bailey Glasser. “A society that allows children to be abused in its own institutions and then abandons them when they seek justice is a society that is failing its own future.”
“I refuse to let Maryland’s leaders sweep this under the rug. I refuse to be silent," said Elexis Massey. “To the State of Maryland and to every official who has the power to do the right thing, the time is up. The delays stop here. The excuses stop here. Justice is not negotiable. You have the power to make this right, and if you don’t, then you’re just as complicit as the people who hurt us. I will not be another name on a forgotten list of victims. I am here. I’m speaking out, and I will not stop until a real change is made to every survivor who has felt unheard and unseen."
