Some victims of sexual abuse who have held their secrets for decades will finally have a chance to have their day in court.

Maryland will officially shed its statute of limitation laws on sex crimes Sunday, allowing victims to sue the people and organizations that allegedly abused them.

The change stems from a law passed by Maryland lawmakers earlier this year. The Baltimore Catholic Archdiocese is likely to be the defendant in hundreds of cases. The Maryland Attorney General’s Office released a report in April implicating more than 150 church employees in the abuse of more than 600 victims over 80 years.

The civil suits could bring payouts as large as $1.5 million per person.

“Evidence in these cases comes in a number of forms,” said Robert Jenner, a managing partner at Jenner Law. “It comes in testimony, it comes in through documents comes in through the accounting of the plaintiff, accounting of witnesses and whatever documents that may exist that show prior notice or knowledge to the church.”

The archdiocese has threatened to file for bankruptcy because of the financial hit it may take from the hundreds of cases that are expected to be filed next week.

Jenner said that a potential bankruptcy could cause issues for the victims as they seek recourse.

“There will be a discovery process where information is shared back and forth to determine how much money there is to the church has to satisfy the creditors,” he said. “That process can take years.”