Baltimore’s administrative and chief judge has cleared the way for lawsuits that survivors of child sexual abuse filed under a 2023 state law to move forward.

Judge Audrey J.S. Carrión on June 2 temporarily put these lawsuits on hold, citing what she described as an “unprecedented influx of cases.”

More than 1,400 lawsuits have been filed in Baltimore Circuit Court under the Child Victims Act of 2023, which removed time limits for survivors to sue and made it easier for them to hold institutions accountable.

In a 13-page order dated Oct. 17, Carrión detailed how these cases will be assigned and scheduled. She also directed that the temporary pause would lift on Friday.

Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, signed the Child Victims Act of 2023 into law.

Right before the act was set to take effect on Oct. 1, 2023, the Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for bankruptcy. The case is pending.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michelle M. Harner is expected to soon rule on whether the archdiocese can invoke a legal doctrine called charitable immunity to avoid paying claims that are not covered by insurance.

Earlier this year, the Maryland Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the law.

Lawmakers then slashed the amount of damages that survivors can obtain through these lawsuits filed after May 31, as it became clear that the state could face billions of dollars in liability.