California Assembly Bill 218 (AB 218), a groundbreaking piece of legislation which took effect on January 1, 2020, significantly expanded the rights of survivors of childhood sexual assault and abuse to pursue their claims against the perpetrators of the abuse and the institutions that allowed the abuse to happen. Survivors can now bring their claims until the age of 40 or within five years of discovering that the psychological injury or illness occurring after the age of majority was caused by the sexual assault "whichever period expires later." Put simply, childhood sexual assault victims now have a much lengthier window within which to file their lawsuit. Importantly, however, AB 218 also includes a three-year lookback window for previously time-barred claims, allowing survivors over the age of 40 to file their claims by December 31, 2022. After that, with limited exceptions, anyone over 40 will be time-barred from bringing a claim.
Please contact Pasic Law for further information. There are strategic benefits to bringing your claims forward sooner rather than later even if you are under the age of 40.