“It’s too late. The statute of limitations has expired.”

For decades, those two sentences ended the conversation for thousands of survivors of sexual abuse.  The abuse happened years ago, sometimes decades ago.  The legal clock had run out. There was nothing to be done.

For a growing number of sexual abuse survivors across the United States, that is no longer true.

A legal tool called a lookback window, sometimes also referred to as a revival window, has changed the reality of options available to sexual abuse survivors. Several states have passed laws that temporarily reopen the courthouse doors for survivors whose claims were previously barred by expired deadlines. Right now, in 2026, multiple windows are open simultaneously. Here we explain what those lookback windows are, why they exist, which ones are currently active, and what it means if you miss one.

First, What Is a Statute of Limitations

A statute of limitations is a legal deadline. In civil cases, it sets the last date a person can file a lawsuit.  Once that date passes, courts will generally dismiss the case, no matter how credible or serious the underlying claim.

In sexual abuse civil cases, most states historically set that deadline at two to seven years from the date the abuse occurred. The legal logic was straightforward.  In that timeframe, evidence is fresher, memories are clearer, and cases are resolved while they are still relevant.

The problem is that this logic does not reflect how survivors of sexual abuse actually experience trauma. Research consistently shows that survivors, particularly those abused as children or within institutional settings, often take years or even decades before they are ready or able to come forward. Shame, fear, self-doubt, institutional pressure, and the neurobiological effects of trauma all create barriers that no two-year deadline accounts for. By the time many survivors were ready to act, the law had already closed the door on them.

Lookback windows were created to address exactly that injustice.

What a Lookback Window Actually Is

A lookback window is a law that temporarily suspends the statute of limitations, allowing survivors to file civil lawsuits for abuse that occurred years or even decades ago, even when the ordinary legal deadline had already expired long before the window opened.

Most lookback windows are temporary. They stay open for a defined period, typically one to three years, and then they close. A smaller number of states have gone further, permanently eliminating statutes of limitations for childhood sexual abuse civil claims.  This means that survivors in those states can file at any time, without a closing deadline.

The critical point when a temporary window closes, the claims that were revived by it generally become barred again, usually permanently. A closed window is not a pause. It entails finality.

Why These Laws Exist

The modern lookback window movement was built on the recognition that trauma science and legal deadlines were incompatible. In 2002, California opened the first revival window.  Delaware passed the Child Victims Act of 2007, which is viewed as a pioneering effort for two-year lookback windows for childhood sexual abuse civil claims.  Delaware’s lookback window ran from 2007 to 2009, and it became a national model.

The movement accelerated in the years that followed, driven in large part by the exposure of systemic institutional abuse.  Grand jury investigations into the Catholic Church, the USA Gymnastics scandal involving Larry Nassar, the reckoning with the Boy Scouts of America all left a lasting mark. In each case, abuse had occurred over decades, and in each case, hundreds or thousands of survivors found themselves legally barred from suing because their windows had closed before the full scope of what happened was even publicly known.

As a result of this publicity and growing awareness of the complexity of these issues, state legislators responded. As of September 2025, 30 states and 3 U.S. territories have enacted revival windows or expanded statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse civil claims, according to the Enough Abuse Campaign and the Children’s Justice Campaign. CHILD USA, the leading nonprofit tracking statute of limitations reform nationwide, has described revival windows as “the best way to give survivors access to justice and expose hidden predators.”

The Windows Currently Open

The following lookback windows are active as of the date of this post. Laws change — always confirm current status with an attorney.

New York City – GMVA Lookback Window – Open from January 29, 2026 through approximately July 29, 2027. This 18-month window covers survivors of gender-motivated violence, including sexual abuse, that occurred anywhere in New York City’s five boroughs on or before January 9, 2022.  There is no floor on how far back the abuse can have occurred. The law explicitly extends liability to institutions: churches, schools, juvenile detention centers, hotels, and employers, not just individual perpetrators. Survivors whose claims were dismissed during the prior 2023–2025 window may also amend or refile under this law.

California – AB 250 (Adult Survivors) – Open from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027. Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 13, 2025, this two-year window allows adult survivors of sexual assault to file civil claims that were previously barred by the statute of limitations, regardless of when the assault occurred. It also allows institutional cover-up claims.  As a result, survivors can sue employers, schools, and hospitals that concealed prior assaults.

California – Prior Adult Sexual Assault Window – A separate, earlier California window for adult claims involving incidents that occurred after January 1, 2009, remains active through December 31, 2026. This is a distinct window from AB 250, and survivors may wish to evaluate which applies to their situation.

Maryland – Child Victims Act of 2023 – The State of Maryland has an unlimited lookback period for child sexual abuse cases under its Child Victims Act of 2023 (CVA).  Effective October 1, 2023, this law permanently removed the statute of limitations.  This allows survivors to file lawsuits regardless of when the abuse occurred, including cases previously barred by time.

Louisiana – Child Sexual Abuse Window – Louisiana’s lookback window for childhood sexual abuse civil claims has been extended and remains active through June 14, 2027.  The Louisiana Supreme Court upheld the window’s constitutionality after it was challenged.

Vermont and Delaware – No Deadline, Ever – Vermont permanently eliminated its civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse in July 2019, reviving all previously expired claims at the same time. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse in Vermont can file a civil lawsuit at any time. Delaware has similarly abolished the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse civil claims.  Survivors can file regardless of when the abuse occurred or how much time has passed.

What Missing the Window Actually Means

This is the part most people don’t fully understand until it’s too late.

When a lookback window closes, previously time-barred claims do not go into a holding pattern. They do not become harder to pursue. They become legally extinguished.  This is permanent in most jurisdictions. Courts do not recognize exceptions for survivors who were close to filing, unaware of the window, or waiting to feel ready. The deadline is the deadline.

Lookback windows can also be narrowed or eliminated by courts before they close. In January 2025, Maine’s supreme court struck down that state’s revival provision as unconstitutional. Survivors who had been counting on that window lost their path to have their day in court overnight. The same risk exists wherever windows are being legally challenged.  And such challenges are ongoing in multiple states.

The practical implication is straightforward – filing early within a window is significantly safer than waiting until it is nearly closed.

You Don’t Have to Figure This Out Alone

Laws related to statutes of limitations are genuinely complex. Windows vary by state. Some vary by city.  For instance, New York City’s GMVA window and New York State’s laws are entirely separate legal frameworks. Windows open and close on different schedules. Constitutional challenges can eliminate them without warning.

At Constant Legal Group, a free consultation includes a review of every window that may apply to your situation. You do not need to know the law going in. You do not need to have researched your state’s rules. You just need to make one call.

Not sure if your state has an open window? Call CLG, and we’ll check for you, free.

We are here to hear your story.  Our consultation is confidential. No obligation. No upfront cost. We only get paid if we recover compensation for you.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Lookback window laws change frequently. Contact Constant Legal Group for a confidential evaluation of the deadlines and options specific to your situation.