The one year window which opened last August allows survivors of childhood sex abuse to come forward against their alleged perpetrators where they had previously been unable to do because of expiration of their statute of limitations. Now, legislators are looking to extend the window for another 12 months to allow survivors to find attorneys and come to terms with their abusers as well as file cases.
“This is an extraordinary time for New York state, and circumstances around the budget are unusual to say the least, but we cannot lose sight of the fact that adult survivors of child sexual abuse will be further harmed by our legal system if we don’t move to extend the window,” said state Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan, a sponsor of both the Child Victims Act and the extension proposal.
IT is still unclear if state legislature will clear the budget to extend policies.
Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, D-Manhattan, an Assembly sponsor of the CVA and the extension proposal, said the budget would be the “most expedient” vehicle to approve a widened filing period.
“Most people think it’s doubtful that, after the budget is done, that we’ll just resume session as normal,” Rosenthal said. “So, it’s up in the air when we would return.”
Jeff Herman and Herman Law knows that community advocacy is vital to the prevention of childhood sexual abuse. Jeff participates in community based organizations dedicated to preventing the sexual abuse of children through various educational programs. He has also appeared as a featured speaker at community programs involving preventing sexual abuse. Given his knowledge and reputation in the legal community, Jeff has taught Continuing Legal Education classes for other attorneys on litigating sexual abuse cases and trial techniques.
