The Archdiocese of Baltimore on Friday agreed not to use a blanket defense in its bankruptcy case to avoid paying survivors of sexual abuse whose claims aren’t covered by insurance.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michelle M. Harner had been scheduled on Monday to start a trial over the issue of the doctrine of charitable immunity.

But attorneys for the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, which represents survivors in the case, then reached an agreement.

“This is a very big deal that the church has agreed that it can no longer hide behind a defense of charitable immunity,” said Andrew Freeman, an attorney for Paul Jan Zdunek, chair of the survivors’ committee.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for bankruptcy in 2023, right before a new state law took effect that eliminated time limits for survivors to file lawsuits and hold institutions accountable for their abuse.

The Maryland Supreme Court later ruled that the Child Victims Act of 2023 is constitutional.

Lawmakers have since slashed the amount of money that survivors can obtain in lawsuits filed after May 31, as it became clear that the state could face billions of dollars in liability.

Court documents show that almost 1,000 survivors have filed claims in the bankruptcy case.

David Lorenz, Maryland director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said “we’re all thrilled.”

Lorenz said he hopes that the agreement will speed up a resolution in the case.

Said Lorenz: “Now, we can start moving again, and people can finally get some justice for what happened.”