Please share this news with everyone you know——let all the New Yorkers hear worldwide:
The Adult Survivors Act gives a one-year window to file a lawsuit after the statute of limitations has passed. This act has eliminated the New York Statute of Limitations enabling lawsuits to be filed for the new year. This one-year lookback window begins six months from signing, on November 24, 2022.
Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Adult Survivors Act (S.66A/A.648A) into law Tuesday, giving survivors of sexual assault an extended opportunity to file civil lawsuits against their abusers. This act has created a one-year lookback window for survivors of sexual assault that occurred when they were over the age of 18 to sue their abusers regardless of when the abuse occurred.
“Today, we take an important step in empowering survivors across New York to use their voices and hold their abusers accountable,” Governor Hochul said. “The fight against sexual assault requires us to recognize the impact of trauma within our justice system. I am proud to sign this legislation, which is part of our collective responsibility to protect one another and create an environment that makes survivors feel safe. While our work is not done, eradicating sexual assault begins with our ability to bring the perpetrators of these heinous acts to justice and this legislation is a historic step forward.”
“Today is a righteous day because it is a victory for justice. And it is long overdue,” Hochul said Tuesday at the signing.
“Finally, we are starting to right a wrong that has existed for far too long because when it came to sexual assault, our laws were protecting the abusers when it came to something known as the statute of limitations,” Hochul continued.
Emphasis added
The legislation was modeled after the Child Victims Act, which was signed into law two years ago and allows survivors of childhood abuse to sue their abusers after the statute of limitations has passed.
Survivors who spoke at the bill signing, along with legislators, said the lookback window is important because it often takes survivors a long time to come to terms with their experiences and even longer before they are ready to talk about it.
Not surprisingly, churches are now scrambling to offer settlements as victims are ready to file lawsuits.
Read more in the news regarding this bill for New York victims of sexual assault:
It’s statute not statue
Whoops, thanks for catching the error David. It’s been updated.