Civil Procedure,
Civil Litigation
Mar. 31, 2026
Childhood abuse survivors face a federal deadline that makes no sense
Civil statutes of limitations for childhood sexual abuse, the borrowing statute's betrayal of § 1983 survivors, and the case for federal legislative reform.
Doug Rochen
Partner
DiCello Levitt, LLP
Email: drochen@dicellolevitt.com
California Western School of Law
In the past decade, numerous U.S. state legislatures have enacted reforms extending or abolishing civil statutes of limitations (SOL) for childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Nineteen states and the federal government have eliminated these limitations. However, a significant flaw persists in federal civil rights law: when a survivor files a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against a state actor, the claim is gov...
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