California Bill to Give Child Abuse Victims One Year Window for Claims Goes to Governor

California just passed legislation opening a window during which child sexual or physical abuse victims can bring civil lawsuits — even if their claims had been barred by the prior time limits.

The new law, passed under SB 131, will become effective January 1, 2014 and have a limited lifespan.  Victims will have only one year to sue their perpetrators or organizations that allowed the abuse to happen, such as the Boy Scouts, the Mormon Church, or other institutions of trust.

After the governor signs it, the new law will “lift the statute of limitations for one year for a group of alleged victims who were 26 and older and missed the previous window to file lawsuits.”

Hopefully, this will give some abuse survivors a chance to achieve justice where, before, there was none.