Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Friday, May 8, 2020 that the state of New York will extend the window for victims to file otherwise time-barred cases under the Child Victims Act for an additional five months until January 14, 2021.
In 2019, Gov. Cuomo signed the Child Victims Act to ensure survivors of childhood sexual abuse to have a path to justice. As part of the Act, the victims were allowed to file their claims, which had already been time-barred or expired, but only for one year. That time frame was set to close on August 14, 2020. But the outbreak of the novel coronavirus significantly disrupted the victims’ ability in seeking justice.
Due to the growing global pandemic and in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus, the state paused the filing of non-essential lawsuits in New York courts. All cases deemed non-essential have been put on pause since March 23, 2020. As a result, survivors of childhood sexual abuse have been unable to file CVA lawsuits since the court closures. However, with the signing of Executive Order 202.29 extending the “look back” window of the Child Victim’s Act, survivors of child sex abuse will have more time to file lawsuits over older claims barred by statutes of limitations.
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If you or a loved one is the victim of child sexual abuse, you need to know how the Child Victims Act can help you get the justice you deserve. For more information or to better understand how this law can help you, please call our professional help center at 212-385-4410.
