Adult survivors of sexual abuse will get a chance to sue their attackers for civil damages for one year – despite exis🌠ting statutes of limitation – under legislation that state lawmakers p🎃lan to pass by early June.
“I’m over tꦯhe moon … this really, really will do wonders for survivors who have been struggling,” Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) told The Post about the bill she is sponsoring.
She’s confident her chamber will pass the bill before the scheduled end of the legislative session on June 2.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie did not respond to a request for comment on the bill moving forward, wh🎃ich Spectrum News first reported Thur🌄sday.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Kathy Hochul confirmed that she will sign the bill into law soon after the Assembওly passes the legiꦆslation, which has already been approved by the state Senate.
The , which takes effect six months after Hochul signs it into law, is modeled on the Child Victims Act that passed t🅘he st🥃ate Legislature in 2019 following years of efforts.
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Survivors of sexual abuse have less than five years to file civil claims for most types of cases under the current laws that would be 𝕴suspended for one year if the bill becomes law.
Proponents say a so-called lookback window will help ✅people attacked in years prior to 2019 when the Legislature lengthened statutes of limitations for many sexual of𝕴fenses committed against people who were 18 or older at the time of their abuse.
Advocates for both bills have said that abuse survivors often need years to process their experiences before they are able to come forwar🅘d to hold their attacks accountable – efforts often hindered by existing statutes of limitations.
“It’s an amazing breakthrough moment for survivors of sexual abuse in NY, and I’d argue, the nation … We’re only here because of the stories shared by survivors. The credit is to their perseverance and courage,” state Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) said about the bill he sponsored in his own chamber.