NEW YORK — New York State lawmakers declined an extension of the Child Victims Act.
The legal window is set to close in August, but right now, New York's court system is no longer accepting Child Victims Act lawsuits due to the coronavirus pandemic. The state's court system postponed all non-essential services and the Child Victims Act lawsuits were not listed as essential.
The Child Victims Act allows those who claim to be victims of child sex abuse one year to seek legal retribution in New York State.
Earlier this year, downstate Senator Brad Hoylman proposed a bill that would add another year to that window because of the hundreds of cases that have already been filed.
Hoylman said other states with similar laws gave victims more than a year to file the suits, and he says New York should do the same.
During Governor Cuomo's daily COVID-19 updates, his secretary, Melissa DeRosa, said last week there was no conversation about an extension to the legal window in budget talks.
Holyman told the New York Law Journal state Senate raised the Child Victims Act extension in budget negotiations and was discussed, but it was rejected at some point.
