The Maryland Supreme Court on Monday upheld a landmark state law that eliminates time limits for people to file lawsuits over child sexual abuse, making it easier for survivors to sue institutions that enabled their abuse.

With a 4-3 vote, the state’s highest court found the Child Victims Act of 2023 to be constitutional, overcoming a key question about whether the act ran afoul of a 2017 state law that extended the deadline for survivors to sue. 

The controversial law went into effect on Oct. 1, 2023.

People have sued schools, churches and state-run juvenile detention centers. Before the law became effective, the Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for bankruptcy, citing an expected flood of lawsuits. The court’s ruling clears an obstacle for survivors across Maryland to sue over old instances of child sexual abuse.