In an opinion piece published in City & State, ECBAWM partner Zoe Salzman draws on her experience representing sexual assault survivors to explain why the proposed Adult Survivors Act should become law. Under current New York law, the time to file a civil case for a sexual assault that happened before 2019 is usually very short.

Based on the previously enacted Child Victims Act, the Adult Survivors Act would create a new “lookback window” so that survivors whose sexual assault occurred prior to 2019 would be allowed a one-year window to revive any civil lawsuits that would otherwise be barred under the statute of limitations.

“The Adult Survivors Act passed the state Senate unanimously last spring but for unclear reasons failed to advance in the Assembly,” writes Salzman. “With a new governor at the helm and a new legislative session that began this month, New York’s leaders have another chance to pass this important law.”