Articles Posted in Sex Abuse

On this page, we will look at sex abuse lawsuits involving juveniles who were detained at the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center (BCJJC), a detention facility in Baltimore, Maryland for juvenile offenders. A new law in Maryland now gives victims of child sexual abuse the ability to file civil lawsuits against the state to seek financial compensation even when the abuse occurred decades ago.

News and Updates:

February 3, 2025: The Maryland Child Victims Act (CVA), which took effect in 2023, eliminated the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits related to child sexual abuse. What made this legislation especially significant was its retroactive application, granting survivors the ability to file claims even for decades-old abuse. However, opponents quickly challenged the law, arguing it was unconstitutional under Maryland’s state constitution. The case was fast-tracked to the Maryland Supreme Court for review.

NFL star quarterback Deshaun Watson defended civil tort lawsuits filed by 23 women who allege that Watson sexually assaulted them during private massage sessions. After Harris County declined to pursue criminal charges against Watson, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns who promptly gave him a new fully guaranteed contract worth – my goodness! – $230 million.

In the wake of the Watson trade and his new blockbuster contract, many people wondered if he would opt to settle the civil lawsuits and how much that settlement might be.  He did. In this post, we will offer an analysis of the potential settlement value of the Deshaun Watson sexual assault lawsuits. The cases have settled, but the amounts are confidential. Here, we speculate on the terms of the Watson settlement agreement with these women.

Our estimated settlement value for the Deshaun Watson civil lawsuits is between $1.5 to $2.5 million for each plaintiff for a total of $33-55 million. The basis for this estimated settlement amount is spelled out in this post.