In their new article for Bloomberg Law, founding partner Roberta (“Robbie”) Kaplan, managing partner Julie Fink, and associate Rachel Tuchman examine New York’s recently passed Adult Survivors Act. This new law gives survivors one year to sue for injuries suffered as a result of conduct including rape, forcible touching, and sexual abuse, regardless of when the alleged offense occurred. The one-year window created by the ASA is set to begin on November 24, 2022. The KHF team anticipates seeing an increase in cases, as occurred after the passage of New York’s Child Victims Act in 2019.
Here, Robbie, Julie, and Rachel explain the details of the one-year window and examine why survivors of sexual assault may have waited to come forward with allegations related to the abuse they endured.
Currently, New York and New Jersey are the only states that have enacted “lookback window” laws for adult sexual assault survivors. New York’s Adult Survivors Act should thus serve as a model for other states to provide survivors of sexual offenses with an opportunity to have their day in court.
Read the full article here.