Survivors claim Baltimore City teacher sexually assaulted students in 1970s
New lawsuits announced Monday claim a Baltimore City Public School teacher sexually assaulted students in the 1970s.
The lawsuit, filed by Baltimore-based law firm Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, accuses the district of allowing special education teacher Alvin Hunt to abuse students in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The alleged abuse resulted in severe trauma and left one victim pregnant, according to the law firm.
Revised Child Victims Act in effect
The new lawsuits come just after revisions to Maryland's Child Victims Act went into effect on June 1.
The law, which was initially passed in 2023, eliminated the statute of limitations for sexual abuse survivors, allowing them to receive a payout of $890,000 for each claim.
In April, Maryland passed revisions to the law that limit the amount of financial compensation that survivors can get to $400,000 for claims against public institutions and $700,000 for claims against private institutions.
The revised Child Victims Act sparked controversy among advocates and survivors as they faced a deadline to file lawsuits before changes took effect.
Similar lawsuits in Maryland
Since the Child Victims Act first went into effect, there have been nearly 4,500 similar abuse lawsuits filed against schools, the state Department of Juvenile Services and the Catholic church, lawmakers said in April.
In April, a New York-based law firm said 650 lawsuits had been filed against juvenile detention centers in Maryland within a year and a half.
"These cases demonstrate that this was not an isolated or historic issue, but a persistent, generational crisis," attorneys from Levy Konigsberg said.
In March, a lawsuit alleged the former dean of a Baltimore County private school abused students in the 1960s.
That lawsuit was the fourth one filed against the school under the Child Victims Act. The filing claimed the school failed to protect its students.
In 2023, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown reported that more than 600 children were abused by at least 165 priests, teachers and employees under the Catholic Church's supervision. More than 1,000 claims have been filed against the church.
WJZ has reached out to Baltimore City Schools following the new lawsuits, but has not yet heard back.
