The Child Victims Act
The Child Victims Act. It was signed by Gov. Cuomo and went into effect on August 14, 2019.
Maybe you have seen a discussion about it on tv.
Maybe you have read about it.
And you ask yourself, what is it all about?
Here is some information.
This new law allows victims of child sexual abuse to bring civil litigation related to their abuse regardless of when it happened. Even if it was 20 or 30 years ago or more. The law permits the revival of what were otherwise time-barred claims. The law is an acknowledgment by the Legislature in Albany of the injustice of the existing statute of limitations imposed upon child victims of sexual abuse. It has very drastically expanded the statute of limitations on this type of claim.
The law has created a ONE-YEAR window in which to bring legal action. The window opened on Wednesday August 14, 2019. The case doesn’t need to be resolved within a year but it must be filed before August 13, 2020.
Each Judicial District shall have a dedicated Part of the Supreme Court known as the 214-g Part [named after the section of the new law which allows for the claims] and the Court will try to move these cases quickly. The judges to whom these cases will be assigned have undergone training on the new law and issues that could arise in litigation related to sex abuse that happened years, if not decades, ago. Alternative Dispute Resolution [ADR] factors into the court system as well with an aim of resolving as many cases as possible without a trial.
If you were the victim of childhood sexual abuse, you now have an option to consider legal action against your abuser. But you must bring that action before August 13, 2020. You should act quickly if you think you may want to file a claim. You can contact J&G for further information.
Call us for a free consultation, 845-778-2121 or schedule an appointment at [email protected].
This is not intended to be legal advice. You should contact an attorney for advice regarding your specific situation.
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Robert M. Lefland
is Senior Counsel and primary attorney in charge of civil litigation and Personal Injury at J&G.
He can be reached by calling 866.303.9595 toll free or 845.764.9656 and by email .
He is available by appointment on Saturday’s.
If you need his immediate attention, you can reach him on cell.
