New York's Adult Survivors Act Leads to Over 2,500 Lawsuits

The law, expiring after Thanksgiving, has seen a wave of sexual abuse claims against high-profile figures and institutions, with a majority involving state prisons and local jails.

• The Adult Survivors Act, a New York law that suspended the usual time limit to sue over alleged sexual assault for a year, has led to over 2,500 lawsuits, including against high-profile figures such as Donald Trump, Sean 'Diddy' Combs, and Russell Brand.
• The majority of the lawsuits have been filed against the state, New York City, and local counties, involving allegations of abuse at state prisons and local jail systems.
• The law, which expires after Thanksgiving, was seen by survivors as an opportunity to finally be heard, and has led to a multitude of legal claims by women who say they were sexually abused while serving time in New York’s prisons and jails.
• The act was modeled after a previous New York law offering people abused as children a temporary window to file claims, which led to almost 11,000 lawsuits, many involving the Roman Catholic Church.
• After the law expires, people will once again be barred from suing over abuse that happened many years ago.

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