Bill removes time limit for sex assault victims to sue
CARSON CITY — Victims of sexual assault could soon have the ability to bring a civil lawsuit against their attacker regardless of when the attack occurred.
Lawmakers considered a bill Tuesday that would allow victims of sexual assault who were over the age of 18 at the time of the crime to bring a lawsuit against their attacker. The bill would apply retroactively if passed.
Current law only allows for civil actions to be brought for two years following the attack, a window that is often too short for victims, said state Sen. Lisa Krasner, R-Reno.
“Psychiatrists, psychologists and other professionals who work on behalf of sexual assault survivors will tell you that it can take many, many years, if not most of one’s life, for a victim to gain the strength and the courage to come forward and report their abuse, if in fact ever feel safe coming forward at all,” Krasner said.
Krasner and Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, D-Las Vegas, carried similar legislation during the 2021 legislative session.
The bill, which was signed into law by former Gov. Steve Sisolak, removed the statute of limitations for sexual assault victims who were younger than 18 at the time of the attack to bring civil action against the perpetrator.
Krasner also sponsored a bill in 2017 that changed the time for victims of sexual abuse who were under the age of 18 at the time they were attacked from 10 to 20 years to file a civil action against their attacker.
In 2019, lawmakers passed a bill removing the criminal statute of limitations for sexual assaults in which DNA evidence confirms the perpetrator and a Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights.
Multiple survivors and organizations spoke in support of the bill, including the Domestic Violence Resource Center, Nevada Women’s Lobby, Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Metropolitan Police Department and the Nevada District Attorneys’ Association.
Contact Taylor R. Avery at TAvery@reviewjournal.com. Follow @travery98 on Twitter.