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More than 20 states have enacted revival windows or extended filing deadlines since 2019. Survivors who were previously barred by expired statutes of limitations are now able to file claims, in some cases for the first time in decades. Cornerstone Law represents survivors nationwide with sensitivity, confidentiality, and strength — with no upfront cost to you.
Key Legislation and Active Proceedings
Each of these legislative developments has triggered a surge of lawsuits against institutions that enabled or concealed abuse. Many cases filed under these laws are now in active discovery.
New York Adult Survivors Act (ASA)
Revival window closed late 2023 — thousands of cases now in discovery
Cases filed under the ASA are moving through discovery in New York Supreme Court. High-profile defendants include hospitals, correctional facilities, and major employers. The ASA covered adult survivors whose SOL had previously expired.
California Sexual Abuse & Cover-Up Accountability Act (AB 452)
Effective 2024 — two-year revival window for adult survivors
Hundreds of cases filed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. Covers adult survivors whose claims were previously time-barred. California also extended the child-abuse SOL to age 40 under AB 218 (2020).
Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023
Civil statute of limitations eliminated permanently
Maryland eliminated the civil SOL entirely for child sexual abuse claims. Major coordinated proceedings are underway in Baltimore City Circuit Court against churches, schools, and youth organizations.
New Jersey & North Carolina Revival Windows
Thousands of cases in active discovery
Cases filed against churches, schools, and youth organizations are now in active discovery. New Jersey extended the child-abuse SOL to age 55. North Carolina's SAFE Child Act opened a two-year revival window.
Who Can Be Held Accountable
Civil sexual-assault lawsuits seek financial compensation not only from the individual perpetrator, but from the institutions and organizations that enabled, ignored, or concealed abuse. These are civil actions seeking damages for survivors, not criminal prosecutions.
Legal Theories
Civil sexual-assault cases pursue accountability through multiple legal theories that address both the act itself and the institutional failures that allowed it to occur.
Property owners and venues failed to provide adequate lighting, locks, cameras, or security personnel to protect against foreseeable assault.
Employers hired or retained individuals with known histories of misconduct, or failed to conduct adequate background checks before placing them in positions of trust.
Schools, camps, churches, and youth organizations failed to adequately monitor staff, volunteers, or other participants who had access to vulnerable individuals.
Institutions knew of prior misconduct by a perpetrator or in a location but failed to warn others, allowing the same individual or hazard to harm additional victims.
Organizations become legally responsible for the wrongful acts of their employees or agents when those acts occur within the scope of the relationship.
Direct claims against the perpetrator for the assault itself, as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress for extreme and outrageous conduct.
State-by-State Filing Deadlines
Filing deadlines vary significantly by state. Some states have open revival windows with fixed expiration dates, meaning survivors must act quickly. Others have extended age-based deadlines or eliminated the SOL entirely.
Open Windows — Act Now
Age-Based Filing Deadlines (selected states)
Eligibility
You may qualify if you survived sexual assault and your state's current law permits filing, whether through an open revival window, an extended age-based deadline, or a permanently eliminated statute of limitations. These cases are handled with complete confidentiality.
Common Questions
Yes. We handle these cases with strict confidentiality, and there are legal processes, like proceeding under a pseudonym in some jurisdictions, that can help protect your privacy throughout the process.
We handle these cases on contingency — no upfront fee, and we only get paid if we recover compensation for you.
Yes, definitely. Many states have changed their laws since 2019, and a deadline that applied to you in the past may no longer apply today. It costs nothing to have your situation reviewed under current law.
No. Civil lawsuits are separate from criminal prosecution, and you can generally pursue a civil claim for damages whether or not a criminal case was ever filed.
We represent survivors and handle every case with sensitivity, confidentiality, and strength. Find out whether your state's current law allows you to file.
Get a Free Case ReviewNo fee unless we recover compensation for you. Call 1-800-928-9445.