The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • A2

2 THE BALTIMORE SUN NEWS SUNDAY, MARCH 8, 2020 A Maryland senator ruffled feathers in Annapolis by sending a lengthy letter to his fellow Republicans, urging them to vote against a bill that would give survivors of child sexual abuse more time to sue their abusers. In his letter, Sen. Robert Cassilly draws parallels to the confirmation process ofU.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was questioned about allegations that he assaulted a young woman at a teenage party decades ago. He suggests that giving abuse survivors unlimited time to sue would be akin to the of the Kavanaughhearings.

the Kavanaugh hearing showed, every day after an event occurs justice becomes less likely as it becomes increas- ingly more difficult to capture the wrote Cassilly, a Harford County Republi- canwho also is an attorney. The letter, which was sent Feb. 10 to Republican members of the House of Delegates, frustrated Del. C.T. Wilson, who has beenworking for years tomake it easier for adult survivors of child sexual abuse to file lawsuits.

Wilson said he was disap- with tone of the letter, defending Kavanaugh and basically trying to light a under Republicans to oppose the bill and Cassilly. A Democrat who represents a district in suggestedCas- silly was trying tomake a political issue out of the bill by sending it only toRepublicans. such a hyper-partisan world, right now we need to be doing better and working said Wilson, a survivor of child abuse. Cassilly said he trying to play politics. He said he wanted lawmakers to consider the implications of allowing un- limited time to file lawsuits, including that difficult to defend against decades-old allegations.

just educating them on the bill facing. all. I see any said. He criticism as feel itwashisplace to the House of Delegates, but thought it was appropriate to share his viewswith his fellowRepublicans. He wrote in his letter: unprece- dented, radical bill is nothing less than a threat to the very legitimacy of our civil justice In 2017, Maryland lawmakers gave vic- tims more time to sue, increasing the age limit to sue from 25 to 38, after a yearslong push by lawmakers, includingWilson, who testified about his own abuse.

bill this year would grant survivors of child sexual abuse unlimited time to file a civil lawsuit and create a two-year window that would permit sur- vivors who were barred previously from suing to do so. Criminal cases already have no statute of limitations. A version of the bill passed the House of Delegates last year, but failed in the Senate. As Americans have gained more aware- ness about the problem of child sexual abuse, several states have lifted their statutes of limitations on civil lawsuits. been national attention to issues such as the Catholic church covering up abuse of children by priests and aMichigan sports doctor who molested hundreds of athletes, including Olympic gymnasts, under the guise of medical treatment.

The Boy Scouts of America recently filed for bankruptcy, with abuse lawsuits cited as one of the reasons. Locally, survivors have come forward with stories of abuse at institutions such as the former Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore and the Key School in Annapolis. They and advocates for sur- vivors have joined Wilson to push for the bill. The bill has been opposed behind the scenes by institutions such as theMaryland Catholic Conference, the lobbying arm inAnnapolis. A House of Delegates committee held a public hearing on the bill, but no vote has been taken or scheduled.

Wilson said keep fighting. haveno ideawhat going to he said. as I tell survivors: All I can do is Baltimore Sun Media reporter Selene San Felice contributed to this article. Bill equated to hearing State senator sends letter on more time for abuse lawsuits By PamelaWood attorney general is warn- ing residents and investors to be on the lookout for scams related to the new coronavirus. Scammers are setting up websites to sell bogus health products that claim to preventorcureCOVID-19andusing fake emails, texts and social media posts about the illness to steal money and personal information, Attorney General BrianE.

Frosh said. are taking advantage of fear of getting sick from Frosh said in an announce- ment. can avoid being cheated by understanding how these thieves are trying to steal their personal information Maryland health officials have con- firmed the first three cases of the virus, the respiratory disease that has sickened at least 100,000 across the globe and killedmore than 3,000. Gov. Larry Hogan announced Thurs- day night that the Public Health Laboratory in East Baltimore confirmed the cases, which are all in Montgomery County.

Two are a married couple in their 70s, and the third is an unrelated woman inher50swhohad traveledwith them.Theyareall recovering in isolation in their homes. Frosh said Friday that swindlers are posing as authorities, such as the Cen- ters for Disease Control and Prevention or theWorldHealthOrganization. Scammers send emails claiming to offer updated information about how people can protect themselves from COVID-19, the attorney general said. He warned that such unsolicited emails from those agencies or from other who say they have informa- tion about the virus are likely attempts to get money or personal information. Or they could be trying to download viruses or malware onto computers.

Likewise, anyone seeking donations tohelpvictimsor for research, especially cardsorgift cards, is likely a scammer. No vaccines, drugs or treatment products have been approved yet for the coronavirus, and pitches for such prod- ucts or cures are likely and the products themselves could be harm- ful. The attorney office advised against clicking on suspicious links in emails or online and to seek information fromreliable sources suchas theCDCor the Maryland Department of Health. Complaints against fraudulent health claims can be filed with the Federal Trade Commission or reported to the Consumer Protection Division by calling 410-528-8662. Additionally, the U.S.

Securities and ExchangeCommission iswarning about online promotions, including on social media, claiming that the products or services of publicly traded companies can prevent, detect or cure coronavirus and that investment in such stocks will increase in value. The SEC warns that investors could lose amounts of money if they invest incompaniesmaking fraudu- lent claims. Scams also could involve schemes in which promoters hype a stock, get many people to invest andthenselloff theirownsharesquickly for a profit before the stocks become worthless. Baltimore Sun reporterMeredith Cohn contributed to this article. Maryland AG warns residents of virus scams Websites sell bogus items, fake emails steal money By LorraineMirabella Nothing routine about Ravens auditions More than 165 hopefuls learn a routine Saturday before formal auditions for the Baltimore Ravens 2020 Cheerleaders, a coed squad, at the Merritt Club Downtown.

KIM SUN PICTURING MARYLAND Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. Young on Saturday said he is supporting state Del. Nick J. Mosby in the race to become the nextCityCouncil president. The twomen, bothDemocrats, aremajor players in the April 28 primary.

Young is seeking a full, four-year term asmayor after ascending to the seat in the wake of Catherine resignation; Mosby is looking to return to City Hall from the General Assembly. Theyworked togetherclosely on issues like pressuring the police depart- ment to implement a body-worn camera program when Young was still council president and Mosby represented West Baltimore as a councilman. As mayor and council president, Young said, the said hecommitted toMosbyearly in theelection cycle thathewouldsupporthis runandthat he always honors hisword. Asked about show of support and about who he plans to back for mayor, Mosby issued a statement: am pleased to have the support of the mayor and many other elected officials and community leaders that I haveworkedwith in the past. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mayor Jack Young, he is a friend who tirelessly serves the city.

have been focused on addressing the needs of my constituents in Annapolis and running my campaign to become the next CityCouncil the first competitive race for City Council president in about a decade, with incumbentCityCouncil PresidentBrandon Scott running against Young formayor. Mosby has opened up a lead in the race, according to a recentpoll forTheBaltimore Sun, the University of Baltimore and WYPR. It showedMosby favored by likelyDemocratic Carl Stokes, another former councilman and political ally of Young, had support. Stokes jumped into the race at the last minute, filing his candidacy roughly an hour before the Jan. 24 deadline.

Young, Stokes and Mosby overlapped in CityHall between 2011and 2016. There are also two current council members running for City Council presi- Shannon Sneed and Leon Pinkett but they trailed in the poll at and respectively. Nearly four in 10 voters were undecided, and the poll had a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points. Young is himself facing a crowded and competitive field of Democrats seeking to bemayor.TheSun/UB/WYPRpoll showed him trailing the leaders. While out campaigning Saturday, Young said he has faith in his base of support across the city and that peoplewould agree rightman for the Young also recently revealed that he would support JoeBidenas theDemocratic nominee for president.

After reading to a group of students at Leith Walk School, a little boy asked the mayor if he would be president after Donald Trump left office. Young said. know who voting tobe thevice president of the United States, and I like Young supporting bid for Baltimore City Council president Democrats worked together during terms at City Hall By Talia Richman State Del. Nick Mosby, seen in October, hopes to return to City Hall as he seeks the Demo- cratic nomination for City Council president in the April 28 primary. KIM SUN.