Assembly gives final OK to 1-year lookback for adult abuse survivors

ALBANY — The Assembly on Monday gave final legislative approval to a law that allows adult survivors of sexual abuse a year to bring lawsuits against their abusers and the institutions they represented, such as companies, colleges and houses of worship.

The State Senate had approved the Adult Survivors Act on April 26. Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to sign the bill into law.

The Assembly approved the measure 140-3. It would provide a one-year window for survivors to bring civil lawsuits regardless of statutes of limitations. The bill follows the 2019 Child Victims Act that provided a year for people who were abused as minors to file lawsuits.

“Sexual assault steals a piece of one’s soul,” said Assemb. Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) who sponsored the bill, which failed a year ago. “Whether you are 6, 16 or 60 rape leaves an indelible mark on survivors … the scars last a lifetime.”

“Today, the Adult Survivors Act will help set some on the path of healing,” she said.

Her bill was bolstered by emotional speeches by some members of the Assembly who spoke on the floor as survivors.

Assemb. Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas (D-Queens) revealed that she had been raped more than 20 years ago. She said the bill will “provide some semblance of hope, some semblance of justice for myself and so many survivors who stand here in this chamber and those who have held us and told their stories over and over and over again to get this bill through.”

Assemb. Yuh-Line Niou (D-Manhattan) said she, too, was a survivor of sexual assault. “I hope and pray this will provide some of the justice we’ve been denied,” she said.

Under state law, most people who were adults when they were sexually abused had five years to begin a civil lawsuit. Advocates have long said that limitation failed to recognize how long it can take for victims of sexual abuse to have the resolve and resources to take on their abusers and institutions.

Despite the overwhelming vote in the Assembly and the unanimous vote in the Senate, some Republicans raised concerns about extending the statute of limitations on selective offenses. They said statutes of limitations are designed to encourage victims to come forward to stop perpetrators and to provide fairness to the accused.

“What would stop us from tinkering with the statute of limitations on other violations?” said Assemb. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-Smithtown). “These are uncharted waters.”

Assemb. Anna Kelles (D-Ithaca), another survivor of sexual assault, told the opponents of the bill that countless survivors have shared their pain to explain why the measure is needed.

“For those of you who haven’t experienced this, sit down,” she said.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.