Child Sexual Abuse Lawyers for Survivors

Marsh Law Firm’s child sexual abuse lawyers represent survivors seeking accountability and justice for abuse committed during childhood. Our attorneys have extensive experience helping survivors pursue civil claims and navigate the legal issues that arise when abuse is disclosed, sometimes many years after it occurred.

Childhood sexual abuse often remains undisclosed for years. Perpetrators may be people a child knows or trusts, and abuse may occur within institutions or environments where adults have responsibilities for a child’s safety. Survivors may also confront complicated questions about statutes of limitation, available legal remedies, and whether a claim can still be brought.

Marsh Law Firm approaches these cases from a survivor-focused and trauma-informed perspective. Our lawyers help survivors understand their legal options and pursue accountability through comprehensive legal representation.

Childhood sexual abuse is often referred to as a “silent crime” that thrives in the dark because victims have difficulty disclosing the trauma they endured. Non-offending adults too often fail to protect children in not reporting the abuse, and perpetrators—who are often trusted by the child or known in the community—hide in plain sight as they can continue abuse and manipulation for years. In addition, oftentimes child sexual abuse is not physically apparent; rather, symptoms of sexual abuse may manifest themselves in behavioral and psychological changes that can be misidentified as moodiness or disobedience.

For victims, the decision to come forward takes incredible strength and courage. Experts in psychology and sociology, as well as supporting statistics and literature, agree that false accusations of childhood sexual abuse are rare. When a child does disclose abuse, we begin by believing and seeking justice for the victim-survivor.

The attorneys at the Marsh Law Firm have extensive experience helping victims and survivors of childhood sexual abuse achieve both criminal and civil justice. 

Our lawyers help survivors rebuild their lives with dignity and respect through comprehensive legal representation.

Statutes of Limitation for Childhood Sexual Abuse Claims

For many survivors of childhood sexual abuse, the passage of time can be one of the most complicated parts of determining whether legal action is possible. Survivors may not disclose abuse until years or even decades after it occurred. Marsh Law Firm has long advocated for laws that recognize the realities of delayed disclosure and provide survivors a meaningful opportunity to seek justice. The firm’s advocacy continuously addresses how restrictive statutes of limitation can prevent survivors from pursuing otherwise valid claims.

A statute of limitation establishes the period in which a lawsuit ordinarily must be filed. But there is no single deadline that applies to every childhood sexual abuse case. The applicable time limit depends on the jurisdiction, the particular claim, the survivor’s age and circumstances, and other provisions of law that may extend or affect the filing period. Some states have enacted significant reforms addressing childhood sexual abuse claims, including laws extending filing periods or permitting certain previously expired claims to be brought.

New York’s Child Victims Act, for example, was enacted after years of efforts to reform the state’s restrictive limitations laws. The law provided a revival opportunity for previously time-barred childhood sexual abuse claims and expanded survivors’ ability to seek accountability through the courts. Importantly, opening the courthouse doors did not eliminate a survivor’s burden of proving a case or lower the applicable standard of care.

Other jurisdictions have taken different approaches, which means the viability of an older claim cannot reliably be determined from the age of the claim alone. Our firm’s work routinely requires examination of the law of the state connected to the abuse, including statutory changes and other rules that may affect when a claim must be filed.

Survivors should not assume that their opportunity to pursue a claim has expired simply because the abuse occurred many years ago. Determining whether a claim is timely requires an individualized analysis of the facts, jurisdiction, defendants, and potentially applicable law.

Marsh Law Firm’s Advocacy for Statute-of-Limitation Reform

Marsh Law Firm’s work on behalf of survivors extends beyond individual cases. The firm has advocated for reforms intended to give survivors of childhood sexual abuse a meaningful opportunity to seek accountability, including advocacy associated with New York’s Child Victims Act. Marsh Law Firm was instrumental in the Act’s passage and as continuing to advocate for survivor-focused legislative reform across the country and in Washington, D.C.

The principle underlying that advocacy is straightforward: the courthouse door should not close before a survivor is able to walk through it.

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Resources for Victims and Survivors

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