MONTGOMERY, Ala. — An Alabama state senator has filed a bill that would increase the statute of limitations for victims of child sexual abuse to pursue litigation.
SB 21, sponsored by Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Pleasant Grove, would extend the limit for a person to file a civil lawsuit against their abusers from their 25th birthday to their 55th birthday. The bill also provides a limited opportunity for those who previously ran over the limit to file suit between Oct. 1, 2025 and Oct. 1, 2027.
Coleman said Wednesday survivors had spoken to her about the difficulties in getting access in the state of Alabama.
“Every year we start making some strides and getting some additional support,” she said.
According to Child USA, a nonprofit think tank focused on child abuse and neglect that advocates for changes to statute of limitations laws , more survivors aged 50 to 70 disclosed abuse than other age groups. Over half of survivors report for the first time after the age of 50.
Last year, Coleman was able to pass a more limited bill through the Legislature which allowed survivors to participate in a trust for survivors in Boy Scouts.
“There are lots of other survivors outside of the Boy Scouts, and so we want to make sure that we have a way that we can give those survivors recourse, as well,” she said.
Revival legislation, which allows claims under previously expired statute of limitations, has passed in other parts of the country.
“It’s a tool, and it is up to that survivor to actually move forward, to use the tool,” she said.
Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, a former child victims prosecutors in Baldwin County, said Thursday that he did not believe it was right that a person would need to file before their 25th birthday.
“You’re talking about people that have, when this happens, they are, some are extremely young, and it takes time for them to be able to address it themselves and understand what happened and understand how they were taken advantage of and what someone did to them,” he said.
Simpson said it is hopefully a bipartisan issue.
The Alabama Legislature returns in February.
This article originally appeared in the Alabama Reflector, an independent, nonprofit news outlet. It appears on FOX54.com under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
