For one year, no statute of limitations for child sex abuse victims
The so-called “look-back window” is part of the Child Victims Act.
They say they were sexually abused by foster parents, clergymen, school teachers and Scout leaders. Soon, they’ll finally have their day in court.
Beginning Aug. 14, individuals that had been time-barred from filing sexual abuse lawsuits against alleged perpetrators, dating back to childhood, will have a new opportunity to do so for up to a year.
This so-called “look-back window” is part of the Child Victims Act, which extended the statute of limitations for both criminal and civil lawsuits when it was signed into New York State law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in February. The bill had floundered in the State Senate for over a decade, blocked by Republican representatives. But after Democrats took majority control in January, it quickly arrived on the Assembly floor and passed by a resounding 130-3 vote.
“This bill will provide necessary relief to child victims of sexual abuse by amending New York’s antiquated laws to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable for their actions, regardless of when the crime occurred,” Cuomo’s office wrote on the governor’s website when the law went into effect.