CONFIDENTIAL · FREE CONSULTATION · ALL FIVE BOROUGHS
NEW YORK
SEXUAL ABUSE &
ASSAULT LAWYER
If someone hurt you, you may be able to hold them — and the institution that enabled them — accountable in civil court. That is true whether or not you ever went to the police, and whether it happened last month or thirty years ago.
You decide what to share, when to share it, and whether to move forward at all. Nothing is filed without your say.
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New York City’s Gender-Motivated Violence Act lookback window reopened on January 29, 2026 and is expected to close July 29, 2027. Until it does, survivors can file civil claims for abuse in the five boroughs regardless of how long ago it happened.
A civil case is separate from a criminal case
Most survivors we speak with assume that because there was no arrest, no charges, or no conviction, there is nothing left to do. That is not how civil law works.
A criminal prosecution is brought by the State, requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and is controlled by a District Attorney who decides whether to move forward. A civil claim is yours. It uses a lower standard of proof, you control it, and it can name not only the person who harmed you but the school, employer, hospital, religious institution, agency, or landlord whose negligence made the harm possible.
NO POLICE REPORT NEEDED
You do not need to have reported the assault to bring a civil claim, and you do not need a conviction.
PRIVACY PROTECTIONS
Courts can permit survivors to proceed anonymously as a Jane or John Doe in appropriate cases. We ask for that where it fits.
YOU SET THE PACE
A first conversation commits you to nothing. Many people call to understand their options and decide later.
NEW YORK CITY ONLY
The Gender-Motivated Violence Act lookback window
New York City’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act — the GMVA — gives survivors a civil cause of action against both the individual who committed the violence and the institutions that enabled it. It was passed to fill the gap left when the Supreme Court struck down the civil remedy in the federal Violence Against Women Act.
In 2019, New York’s Appellate Division held in Breest v. Haggis that sexual assault is inherently motivated by gender. That ruling put a wide range of sexual abuse squarely within the GMVA’s reach.
A 2026 amendment (Intro. 1297-A) reopened the filing window after courts dismissed institutional claims on retroactivity grounds. During this window, survivors of abuse that occurred in the five boroughs may be able to:
File a claim for the first time
Even if the abuse happened years or decades ago and the ordinary deadline expired long ago.
Refile a dismissed case
If your claim was thrown out under the older GMVA framework, the amendment may let you bring it back.
Amend a pending lawsuit
Suits filed between March 2023 and March 2025 may be amended to assert claims under the corrected statute.
Name the institution, not just the abuser
The amendment clarifies that entities — including city agencies — can be held liable for enabling abuse.
Building a case takes time. Records have to be pulled, witnesses located, and institutional history reconstructed — often for events long in the past. Survivors who wait until the window is nearly closed may leave their attorney too little runway. If you think the GMVA might apply to you, the conversation is worth having now, even if you are not ready to decide anything.
How long do you have to file in New York?
There is no single answer — the deadline turns on your age at the time, where it happened, who is responsible, and which statute applies. These are the main paths.
CPLR 213-c
20 years for adult survivors
New York extended the civil filing period for certain sex offenses against adults to 20
years in 2019. The extension applies going forward and does not by itself revive claims
that had already expired.
years in 2019. The extension applies going forward and does not by itself revive claims
that had already expired.
CHILD VICTIMS ACT
Until age 55 for childhood abuse
Survivors abused as minors can generally bring civil claims until their 55th birthday.
The CVA’s separate one-year revival window has closed, but the age-55 rule remains in
force.
The CVA’s separate one-year revival window has closed, but the age-55 rule remains in
force.
NYC GMVA
Lookback window open now
For abuse in the five boroughs, the reopened window runs to approximately July 29,
2027. Once it closes, the GMVA period is seven years from the act, extendable to nine in
some circumstances.
2027. Once it closes, the GMVA period is seven years from the act, extendable to nine in
some circumstances.
ADULT SURVIVORS ACT
Closed — but you may still have options
The ASA revival window ran from November 2022 to November 2023 and has ended. If
you missed it, the GMVA may still reach your claim if the abuse occurred in New York
City.
you missed it, the GMVA may still reach your claim if the abuse occurred in New York
City.
MUNICIPAL CLAIMS
Much shorter deadlines
Claims involving the City, a public school, the MTA, a public hospital, or another
government body can carry notice requirements measured in
days, not years. If a public entity may be involved, do not wait.
government body can carry notice requirements measured in
days, not years. If a public entity may be involved, do not wait.
Deadlines are fact-specific and change. This page is general information, not legal advice
about your situation. The only way to know your actual deadline is to have someone look at
your facts.
about your situation. The only way to know your actual deadline is to have someone look at
your facts.
Cases we handle
Abuse rarely happens in isolation. In many cases an organization had warnings it ignored, a supervision policy it never enforced, or a complaint it buried. We look at both.
- Sexual assault and rape by an individual
- Abuse by clergy or within a religious organization
- Abuse in schools, camps, and youth programs
- Abuse by coaches, tutors, and youth staff
- Assault by a doctor, therapist, or other medical provider
- Abuse in foster care, group homes, and detention
- Assault by a rideshare or delivery driver
- Assault enabled by negligent property security
- Abuse by a landlord, super, or building employee
- Sex trafficking and hotel liability claims
When an institution is also responsible
An individual abuser is often judgment-proof — no assets, no insurance, sometimes no longer locatable. The organization that put them in a position of trust usually is not. Institutional liability is where most meaningful recoveries in these cases actually come from, and it is the part that requires real investigation.
We look for:
- Prior complaints, internal reports, or personnel files that were never acted on
- Background checks that were skipped, incomplete, or ignored
- Supervision and two-adult policies that existed on paper only
- Quiet transfers of a known abuser to a new location or role
- Mandated reporters who failed to report
- Security failures — broken locks, absent cameras, unstaffed entrances — in premises liability cases
What a civil claim can recover
Compensation does not undo what happened. It can pay for the care you need, replace what the harm cost you, and put an accountable institution on the record.
- Therapy, counseling, and psychiatric care — past and ongoing
- Medical treatment related to the assault
- Lost income and diminished earning capacity
- Emotional distress, PTSD, anxiety, and depression
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Relocation, security, and safety-related costs
- Punitive damages where conduct was especially egregious
- Non-monetary terms, including institutional policy changes
No outcome can be promised. Every case turns on its own facts, evidence, and the resources of the parties involved.
01
You tell us as much as you want
There is no script and no interrogation. You can stop at any point. What you say is confidential whether or not you hire us.
02
We identify the deadline
Which statute applies, whether a window is open, and whether a public entity triggers a short notice requirement.
Records, prior complaints, and institutional history — without contacting anyone you ask us not to contact.
We investigate quietly
03
04
You decide whether to file
We give you an honest read on strengths, weaknesses, and what litigation would ask of you. The choice stays yours.
CONTINGENCY FEE
No fee unless we recover for you
No retainer. No hourly billing. No invoice arriving while you are trying to get through the week. We are paid only out of a recovery, and if there is none, you owe us no fee.
Questions survivors ask us
The abuse happened decades ago. Is it too late?
Possibly not. If the abuse occurred within New York City, the GMVA’s reopened lookback window currently allows claims regardless of how long ago the conduct occurred, through approximately July 29, 2027. If you were a minor at the time, the Child Victims Act generally allows claims until your 55th birthday. Which route applies depends on your facts, which is exactly what a first conversation is for.
Can I file a lawsuit if I never reported it to the police?
Yes. A civil claim does not require a police report, an arrest, criminal charges, or a conviction. Many survivors have valid civil claims after never involving law enforcement at all. Corroborating evidence still helps, and it can come from many sources — therapy records, contemporaneous messages, people you told at the time, or other survivors who came forward about the same person.
Will my name become public?
Not necessarily. Courts frequently allow survivors of sexual abuse to proceed anonymously as Jane Doe or John Doe, and we request that protection where it is appropriate. Whether it is granted depends on the court and the circumstances, but it is a standard part of how we approach these cases. We will tell you honestly what to expect before anything is filed.
Can I sue the organization, not just the person?
Often, yes. Schools, employers, religious organizations, hospitals, foster agencies, property owners, and government entities can be liable for negligent hiring, negligent supervision, failure to act on prior complaints, or inadequate security. The 2026 GMVA amendment specifically clarified that institutions and city agencies can be named. Institutional claims are usually where the meaningful recovery is.
What if my case was already dismissed?
Bring us the file. The 2026 GMVA amendment was passed specifically because courts had dismissed institutional claims on the ground that an earlier amendment was not retroactive. Survivors who filed between March 1, 2023 and March 1, 2025 may now be able to amend or refile during the current window.
Will I have to testify or face the person who hurt me?
Many civil cases resolve before trial, and most of what happens along the way is handled by lawyers and paper. If a deposition becomes necessary, we prepare you thoroughly, and there are protective measures we can ask the court for. You will never be surprised by a step — we tell you what is coming and why.
How much does it cost to talk to a lawyer?
Nothing. The consultation is free and confidential, and we work on contingency — we are paid only from a recovery. If we do not recover anything for you, you owe no attorney’s fee.
Is this different from workplace sexual harassment?
Yes, though the two can overlap. Workplace sexual harassment claims arise under the New York State and City Human Rights Laws and are usually brought against an employer. Sexual abuse and assault claims are civil tort and GMVA claims that can be brought against anyone, in any setting. If your situation involves harassment at work, see our New York sexual harassment lawyer page. If you are unsure which applies, call — we will point you the right way either way.
Support, whether or not you ever call a lawyer
Legal help is one option among several, and it is not the first thing everyone needs. These organizations are free and confidential:
- RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline — 1-800-656-4673, 24/7, or online chat at rainn.org
- Safe Horizon — New York City crisis counseling and advocacy, 1-866-689-4357
- NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault — survivor resources across the five boroughs
- NYS Office of Victim Services — may reimburse counseling and medical costs
One conversation. No obligation.
You do not have to have decided anything. You do not have to have the whole story ready. Tell us what you are comfortable telling us, and we will tell you honestly whether you have options and how long you have to use them.
