Metro Brief: Grosso Bill Eliminates Statute of Limitations in Child Sex Abuse Cases

District Chronicles
March 30, 2015

http://www.districtchronicles.com/news/view.php/863583/Metro-Brief-Grosso-bill-eliminates-statu

Grosso hopes the Childhood Protection Act will allow victims of sexual abuse during childhood to pursue litigation years after the incident. Credit: Tommy Wells/Creative Commons

D.C. City Council member David Grosso (I-At Large) has introduced the Childhood Protection Against Sexual Abuse Amendment Act of 2015 that would eliminate the statute of limitations for the recovery of damages arising out of sexual abuse that occurred when a victim was a minor.

The bill creates a two-year window for individuals whose claims were previously time-barred.

“There are few actions more depraved than sexual violence or abuse against children,” said Grosso. “Because most victims of childhood sexual abuse do not come forward until much later in their adult lives, we need to ensure that the statute of limitations is not a barrier to justice. A person who victimizes a child should never be able to hide behind time.”

Currently, there are seven states that no longer have a civil statute of limitations for claims of childhood sexual abuse. Earlier this month, the Utah state legislature passed similar legislation, removing the statute of limitations for civil actions against perpetrators of child sex abuse.