Index
New York Adult Survivors Act
Summary
The Adult Survivors Act created a one-year 'lookback window' (which closed in Nov 2023) that allowed adult victims of sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits against their abusers or the institutions that protected them, regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred.
Rights & Rules
- 01.Normally, victims only have a few years to sue for sexual assault due to the 'statute of limitations.'
- 02.This law temporarily lifted that time limit for exactly one year, allowing victims to sue for abuse that happened decades ago.
- 03.Victims could sue the individual abuser directly, or they could sue the corporation, school, or church that knowingly ignored or enabled the abuse.
- 04.While the special 'window' has now closed, lawsuits filed during that one-year period are currently moving through the NY court system.
Penalties
- 01.This is a civil law, not criminal. The penalty is financial damages (which have reached into the hundreds of millions of dollars) awarded to the victims by the abusers or negligent institutions.
Verified Citations
New York Civil Practice Law and Rules Section 214-j
Source"Notwithstanding any provision of law which imposes a period of limitation to the contrary... every civil claim or cause of action brought against any party alleging intentional or negligent acts or omissions by a person for physical, psychological, or other injury or condition suffered by a person as a result of conduct which would constitute a sexual offense... which is barred as of the effective date of this section because the applicable period of limitation has expired, is hereby revived..."