Western New York Abuse Survivors Find Hope As Governor Cuomo Signs Child Victims Act

Tiveron Law PLLC- Press Release

Seventeen days after the State legislature passed the New York Child Victims Act, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill at an event in New York City.  With the bill finally signed, attorneys can now properly inform survivors of abuse with previously expired claims about the timetable for bringing a potential lawsuit within the one-year look-back window.

The one-year look-back window will open six months from the effective date of the bill, which is when it is signed into law.  With Governor Cuomo’s signature coming on February 14, 2019, that means survivors of abuse who qualify for the look-back window may begin to file their lawsuits on August 14, 2019, and will have until August 20, 2020 to do so.
For many of the survivors represented by Tiveron Law, they will be hard at work over those six-months before the window opens.

“We will be working diligently with our clients to investigate their claims, gather evidence and, for those who wish to do so, have their complaints drafted and ready to be filed on Day 1 of the revival window,” said attorney William A. Lorenz, Jr.

Mr. Lorenz added that his office has been flooded with calls in the two weeks since the passage of the Child Victims Act, and only expects the calls to increase with the bill being signed.

“Now is the time for survivors to come forward to ensure their voices are some of the first heard when that window opens,” said Mr. Lorenz.

The Child Victims Act will also expand the statute of limitations for survivors to bring criminal charges from age 23 to age 28, and expand the civil statute of limitations from age 23 to age 55.

If you or someone you know is a survivor of childhood abuse, please consider knowledgeable & compassionate legal counsel for representation. Call 716-636-7600 to speak with attorneys Steven Cohen, William Lorenz or Diane Tiveron.