Statute of Limitations for Child Sexual Abuse / Assault in Maryland

Overview

Maryland’s statute of limitations (SOL) sets a deadline for filing a civil lawsuit for claims that fall under the state’s general “limitations of actions” framework. For many disputes involving personal injury or related allegations, Maryland uses a general SOL of 3 years under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-106.

Because your question is specifically about child sexual abuse / assault, two practical points matter right away:

1. Maryland’s general period is 3 years (not a claim-type-specific rule, based on the information provided).
2. The deadline can be affected by when the clock starts, and Maryland recognizes legal concepts that can delay accrual or toll limitations in certain circumstances.

If you’re using DocketMath to plan your timeline, you’ll want to track (a) the date of the incident and (b) the date you believe the claim accrued or started running—because those inputs drive the result.

Limitation period

Default rule: 3 years under Maryland’s general SOL

Maryland’s general statute for limitations of actions provides a 3-year limitations period for covered civil claims under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-106.

In plain terms: if the relevant claim accrues on a particular date, you typically have 3 years from that accrual date to file.

What “3 years” means in practice

Here’s how to think about the deadline mechanics:

• Accrual date (starting point): When the claim legally starts (often tied to injury, discovery concepts, or other statutory triggers).
• Filing deadline (ending point): Accrual date + 3 years.

DocketMath’s calculator is designed around this concept. If you change the accrual date input, the resulting “last day to file” can shift materially.

Example timeline (illustrative)

• Incident date: January 10, 2020
• Accrual date assumed by claimant: January 10, 2020
• SOL end date (default): January 10, 2023

If the accrual date is different (for example, a later discovery date argument or statutory accrual/tolling rules), the SOL end date changes accordingly.

Checklist for your file:

Key exceptions

Maryland recognizes that some legal doctrines can change the limitations analysis even when the base period is “3 years.” The exact applicability depends on the facts and the specific legal theory.

1) Accrual and discovery-related concepts

Even where the SOL period is set at 3 years, the practical issue is often when the clock starts. Maryland law can allow for arguments that the cause of action accrued later than the incident date, depending on statutory accrual rules and the nature of the claim.

What to do with this in your timeline:

• Treat incident date and accrual date as different inputs.
• Use the date you believe best matches Maryland accrual rules for your situation when running the DocketMath calculator.

2) Tolling doctrines (when limitations are paused)

Tolling refers to situations where the SOL clock may pause or be extended by statute or recognized doctrine. Maryland’s SOL framework is sensitive to tolling events, which may depend on factors such as:

• the legal status of the claimant (e.g., age-related doctrines),
• extraordinary circumstances recognized by law, or
• procedural events that affect timing.

If a tolling doctrine applies, the “3-year” period doesn’t necessarily end 3 years after the incident—rather, the clock may stop and restart.

Checklist for assessing tolling/timing issues:

3) Claim-type-specific SOL rules (not identified here)

For this brief, you provided an important constraint: no claim-type-specific sub-rule was found beyond the general default period. That means this page treats § 5-106 as the governing starting point for the limitations period described here.

If future review uncovers a more specific statute for a particular type of claim, that could supersede the general period. DocketMath is still useful for scenario modeling, but you should ensure the correct statute governs before relying on the result.

Statute citation

The general/default statute of limitations for the period discussed here is:

• Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-106 (General SOL period: 3 years)
  Source (FindLaw): https://codes.findlaw.com/md/courts-and-judicial-proceedings/md-code-cts-and-jud-pro-sect-5-106/?utm_source=openai

This page uses Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-106 as the baseline 3-year SOL because no claim-type-specific sub-rule was identified in the provided jurisdiction data.

Use the calculator

DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator helps you turn the legal timing framework into a clear deadline date.

Start here:

• Use DocketMath’s SOL tool: /tools/statute-of-limitations

What you’ll typically enter

While the interface wording can vary, most SOL calculators in this category ask for inputs like:

• Jurisdiction: Maryland (US-MD)
• Accrual date (or the date you want to treat as when the SOL clock begins)
• Optional scenario inputs if the tool supports them (such as a tolling-related restart date)

How outputs change when inputs change

Use these “what-if” principles while testing your numbers:

A practical workflow:

1. Run the calculator using your best-supported accrual date.
2. If you’re unsure, run two scenarios (incident-date accrual vs. later-accrual-date arguments).
3. Treat the earlier deadline as the “do not miss” target date for administrative planning.

Related reading

• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Vermont — Tool comparison
• Statute of limitations in Singapore: how to estimate the deadline — How-to guide
• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Connecticut — Tool comparison