Cuomo extends Child Victims Act lookback window due to COVID-19

Lawmakers and advocates rallied for the Child Victims Act in January 2019. AP Photo/Hans Pennink

By Victoria Merlino

A state law that allows survivors of childhood sexual abuse to sue their abusers regardless of when the offenses occurred will extend into 2021, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday. 

The Child Victims Act, which took effect in August 2019, opened a year-long lookback window that enables New Yorkers who had suffered sexual abuse as children to sue their abusers or the institutions that enabled the abuse. Prior to the Child Victims Act, statutes of limitations prevented adults who were abused as children from filing civil complaints after a certain amount of time had passed. 

The window was supposed to close in August 2020, but Cuomo said he is extending the filing period due to the impact of COVID-19 on court proceedings.  

“Many aspects of society have been closed down or are less operational during this pandemic, and the court system is among them,” Cuomo said. “Because of the reduction in court services due to the virus, we are extending that window for an additional five months until January 14th to ensure survivors have the access to the courts that they need to file a claim and get the long-overdue justice they deserve.”

There have been 1,786 CVA cases filed statewide as of March 16, the last day of new filings. A total of 805 cases have been filed in the five boroughs, including 81 in Queens. 

Courts were flooded with cases when the lookback window first opened, with nearly 1,200 survivors filing cases in the state between August and December 2019. The Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts of America were among the most prominent organizations named in lawsuits.