Case category Sexual Assault & Abuse
Sexual Abuse Lookback Windows & Filing Deadlines
Wondering whether it is too late to bring a claim for abuse that happened years ago? The answer depends on the details.
Many survivors do not speak about sexual abuse until years or decades later. Some states have extended their deadlines or reopened older claims for a limited time. CBW Law checks which rules may apply to your situation, including whether any window is open now. You can Tell Us Your Story with only the basics, such as the state and approximate years. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship.
A lookback window, also called a revival window, is a law that temporarily lets survivors file certain sexual abuse claims that had already expired. It is one of several ways states have changed filing deadlines for sexual abuse claims. Others include longer deadlines, rules that start the clock when a survivor understands the harm, and removing deadlines entirely for some claims. There is no nationwide deadline. Whether an older claim can be filed depends on the state, your age at the time, the dates involved, who the claim is against and the exact words of the law. A sexual abuse lawyer can check those details, including whether a window that has closed is the only option.
What a statute of limitations is
A statute of limitations is a deadline for filing a lawsuit. If a claim is filed after the deadline, a court will usually dismiss it, no matter how strong the facts are. Each state sets its own deadlines, and the deadline can differ for different kinds of claims and defendants.
For many years, deadlines for sexual abuse claims ran out before many survivors were ready to come forward. Research on child sexual abuse disclosure finds that telling someone is usually a gradual process, not a single event, and that barriers to disclosure continue to outweigh the things that help1. Many states have changed their laws in response.
Extended deadlines, discovery rules, tolling and revival laws
These terms are often used loosely, but they mean different things:
- Extended deadlines give more time from the start. New York, for example, allows claims based on childhood sexual offenses until age 552, and Texas allows 30 years for listed child sexual abuse offenses3.
- Discovery rules start the clock when a survivor discovers, or reasonably should have discovered, the injury and its cause. California's adult sexual assault law includes a three-year discovery period4.
- Tolling pauses the clock. A common example is extra time for people who were minors when the claim arose; New York's general rule for infancy is one example2.
- Revival laws reopen claims that had already expired. Some open a temporary window. Others remove the deadline altogether for certain claims, as Maryland did in 20235.
The federal government has also removed the deadline for one federal civil claim available to people who were victims of certain federal sex offenses as minors6.
Why childhood and adult abuse follow different rules
Most extended deadlines and revival windows apply to abuse that happened before age 18. Adult survivors often have shorter deadlines. A few states have created windows for adults too. New York's Adult Survivors Act opened a one-year window that has closed78. California currently has two provisions reviving certain adult sexual assault claims, described in the table below4.
Civil deadlines compared with criminal deadlines
A civil deadline controls when a survivor can file a lawsuit for money. A criminal deadline controls when the government can file charges. They are separate and often very different:
- Federal law allows prosecution for sexual abuse of a child during the life of the child, or ten years after the offense if longer9, and removes the time limit entirely for certain federal sex offenses10.
- In New York, many felony child sexual abuse cases can be charged until the survivor turns 28, while civil claims can be filed until 5511.
An expired criminal deadline does not mean a civil claim is expired, and an open criminal deadline does not mean a civil claim is timely.
What eligibility can depend on
Whether a particular claim fits a particular law can depend on:
- The state where the abuse happened, and sometimes where the defendant is located
- Your age when the abuse happened
- The dates of the abuse and of any earlier lawsuit or settlement
- Whether the claim is against the individual, a private organization or a public entity
- What the defendant knew. Arizona's 2019 revival, for example, allowed claims against someone other than the perpetrator only if that person knew or had actual notice of misconduct12
- The exact category of claim the law covers
Laws also differ on public entities. California's current adult window excludes public entities4, while its childhood abuse law waives the usual government claim requirement1314. New York's Child Victims Act waived notice-of-claim requirements for revived claims15.
Verified examples of revival windows and extended deadlines
This table lists only laws we verified against the statute, session law, official government source or court opinion cited in each row. It is not a complete list of states, and it is not legal advice. Last verified November 6, 2026.
| Jurisdiction | Law | Claims covered | Filing period for revived claims | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Laws 2019, ch. 259, § 312 | Expired claims based on sexual abuse of a minor; claims against non-perpetrators required knowledge or actual notice of misconduct | Had to be filed before December 31, 2020 | Closed |
| California | AB 218 (2019); Code Civ. Proc. § 340.116 | Expired claims based on childhood sexual assault, including claims against entities | Three years from January 1, 2020 (through December 31, 2022) | Closed |
| California | Code Civ. Proc. § 340.16(b)(3)4 | Adult sexual assault based on conduct on or after January 1, 2009, barred only because the deadline expired | Until December 31, 2026 | Open until December 31, 2026 |
| California | AB 250 (2025); Code Civ. Proc. § 340.16(e)4 | Adult sexual assault claims barred before January 1, 2026; claims against private entities require cover-up allegations; public entities excluded | January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027 | Open |
| Louisiana | 2021 and 2022 revival laws17 | Expired childhood sexual abuse claims | Until June 14, 2024 | Closed; upheld on rehearing June 12, 2024 |
| Maryland | Child Victims Act of 20235 | Childhood sexual abuse claims, with no time limit (not a temporary window) | No deadline since October 1, 2023 | In effect; upheld February 3, 202518; lower damages limits for older claims filed on or after June 1, 202519 |
| New York | Child Victims Act, CPLR 214-g15 | Expired childhood sexual abuse claims, including notice-of-claim waivers | August 14, 2019 to August 14, 20211120 | Closed |
| New York | Adult Survivors Act, CPLR 214-j7 | Expired claims for sexual offenses against people 18 or older | One year beginning six months after the May 24, 2022 signing8 | Closed |
Status is as of November 6, 2026. A closed window does not answer every eligibility question; see below.
Colorado is an example of a law blocked in part by the courts. Its 2021 law created a claim for abuse dating back to 1960, but in 2023 the Colorado Supreme Court held it unconstitutional as applied to claims that had already expired before the law took effect21. Our news article on revival laws compares the Colorado, Louisiana and Maryland decisions.
Court rulings and legislative changes
Revival laws are often challenged, usually by the institutions being sued. Results differ because each state's constitution is different:
- Colorado's Supreme Court blocked revival of already-expired claims in 202321
- Louisiana's Supreme Court first struck down its revival law, then reversed itself on rehearing in June 2024 and upheld it17
- Maryland's Supreme Court upheld its law 4–3 in February 202518, and lawmakers later lowered damages limits for older claims filed on or after June 1, 202519
Laws are amended often. California, for example, changed its adult sexual assault deadlines again in 20254. Our explainer on California's childhood sexual assault law covers that state's changes for childhood claims. A rule that applied a few years ago may not apply today, which is why each row above shows a verification date.
How bankruptcy deadlines differ
When a defendant organization files for bankruptcy, lawsuits against it are generally paused22, and the bankruptcy court sets its own deadline, called a bar date, to file a proof of claim23. That date can fall before, during or after a state revival window, and it is set by the court in that case rather than by state law. A bankruptcy plan may also send claims to a trust with its own procedures, as in the Boy Scouts of America case24.
Why a closed window does not answer every question
If a revival window in your state has closed, you may still want a review, because:
- Your claim may be timely under the regular deadline, such as age 55 in New York2 or twelve years after 18 in Arizona25
- A discovery rule may apply to when the clock started
- A different state's law may apply if the abuse happened in more than one place
- A federal claim may be available in some cases, with its own deadline6
- A new law may have been passed or a court may have changed the rules
- Claims against an organization in bankruptcy may follow the bankruptcy court's deadline
You do not need to know which rule applies before asking. A sexual abuse attorney can check.
Records that may help with a deadline review
You do not need documents to ask. These details can help a lawyer check the deadlines quickly:
Helpful details
The basics
- The state, and city if you remember
- Approximate years, and your age at the time
- The organization involved, if any
Earlier steps
- Any earlier report, lawsuit, claim form or settlement
- Any letter about a bankruptcy or claims process
Records you may have
- Messages, letters or photos from that time
- Counseling or medical records, if you choose to share them
Privacy when you contact us
You choose what to share. The form asks for your name, email and phone so we can reach you. The description box is optional, and you do not need to describe what happened in detail to ask for a review.
After you submit the form, a copy of what you sent is emailed to the address you enter. If someone else can read that inbox or your phone's messages, consider leaving the description blank, using an email address only you can access, or calling us instead. You can use the description box to tell us the safest way and time to reach you.
We treat what you share with care. Even so, information you send through a website or email is not the same as a privileged attorney-client communication, and submitting the form does not create an attorney-client relationship or guarantee representation.
What happens after you contact CBW Law
How a deadline review works
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You share the basics
The state, approximate years and who was involved are usually enough to start. You do not need to describe the abuse.
-
We check the rules
We look at the regular deadline, any discovery or tolling rules, any revival law and any bankruptcy case.
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We explain what we found
We tell you whether a deadline appears open, closed or uncertain, and why.
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You decide
Whether to take any further step is up to you.
Time passing does not make what happened less real. Whether the law allows a claim is a separate question, and it is worth asking.
Plain English
Medical, Health & Insurance
Words you may see in court papers, legal notices and records.
Deadline terms
- Statute of limitations
- The deadline to file a lawsuit.
- Revival window
- A period during which a law allows certain expired claims to be filed.
- Discovery rule
- A rule that starts the clock when a person discovers, or reasonably should have discovered, the injury and its cause4.
- Bar date
- A bankruptcy court's deadline for filing a proof of claim23.
- Notice of claim
- A written notice some states require before suing a government body26.
Care and support
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- A condition in which fear, stress or memories of a traumatic event continue long afterward and get in the way of daily life27.
- Trauma-informed care
- An approach to care that recognizes the effects of trauma and avoids practices that may cause further harm.
- Victim compensation
- A state program that may repay some crime-related costs, such as medical care, counseling and lost wages, under that state's rules28.
Records and insurance
- Right of access
- Your federal right to see and get copies of most of your medical and billing records29.
- Psychotherapy notes
- A therapist's separately kept notes about session content, which are treated differently from the rest of a medical record30.
- Explanation of benefits (EOB)
- A health plan statement listing what was billed, what the plan paid and what you owe. It can help confirm dates of treatment.
Questions
Frequently asked lookback window lawsuit questions
Short answers to questions survivors ask about older claims. Every situation depends on its facts and the state where it happened.
What if the abuse happened decades ago?
What is a revival window?
A revival window, or lookback window, is a law that temporarily allows certain claims that had already expired to be filed. Each window has its own dates and limits.
What if a window has closed?
A closed window does not always end the question. The regular deadline, a discovery rule, another state's law, a federal claim or a bankruptcy claims process may still apply.
Which state's law applies?
Usually the law of the state where the abuse happened, but not always. When abuse happened in more than one state, or the defendant is located elsewhere, a sexual abuse attorney can explain which laws may apply.
Is any lookback window open now?
As of November 6, 2026, California has two provisions reviving certain adult sexual assault claims: one through December 31, 2026, and one through December 31, 20274. Each has conditions. Laws change, so check with a lawyer.
Does a revival window apply to claims against public schools or agencies?
It depends on the law. Some include public entities and waive notice rules; California's current adult window excludes them4.
Is there a nationwide deadline for sexual abuse lawsuits?
No. Each state sets its own deadlines. One federal claim for people abused as minors through certain federal offenses has no time limit6, but it does not cover every situation.
Does a criminal deadline affect my civil claim?
No. Criminal and civil deadlines are separate and often different11.
Does contacting CBW Law mean I am filing a lawsuit?
No. It starts a conversation. It does not create an attorney-client relationship or guarantee representation.
Tell Us Your Story
If you have wondered whether it is too late, you can ask without having every date or document.
Share the state and approximate years, and the safest way to reach you. We will check which rules may apply and explain what we find.
Submitting information does not establish an attorney-client relationship or guarantee that CBW Law will represent you. Every claim depends on its own facts and the law that applies.
Tell Us Your Story Call (800) 476-2416
This page is general information, not legal advice. Reading it or contacting CBW Law does not create an attorney-client relationship. Allegations described here are allegations unless a court or agency has made a finding. Laws and deadlines differ by state and change over time; state-specific statements were last verified on November 6, 2026. No outcome can be promised in any case. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. The table is a selection of verified examples, not a complete survey of state law.
