If you were sexually abused in New York City and were told it was too late to file a lawsuit, that the statute of limitations had expired, that your case was too old, that the law simply didn’t cover you, then you need to read this.

The law has changed. A new window is open. And it may be your last one.

On January 29, 2026, the New York City Council overrode a mayoral veto to enact Bill 1297-A, a landmark amendment to the Gender-Motivated Violence Act (GMVA). The amendment opened an 18-month lookback window giving survivors of gender-motivated violence, including sexual assault and sexual abuse, the right to file civil lawsuits for harm that occurred years or even decades ago. The window runs through approximately July 29, 2027.

Once it closes, it may never reopen.

What the GMVA Is and Why It Had to Be Fixed

The GMVA (Gender-Motivated Violence Act) has been New York City law since 2000.  It was designed to give survivors of gender-based violence a path to civil justice independent of the criminal system.  However, for most of its existence, the law had a critical flaw in that it only clearly authorized lawsuits against individual perpetrators, not the institutions that enabled, covered up, or failed to prevent the abuse.

In 2022, the City Council amended the GMVA to include institutions. That should have been a victory. But when hundreds of survivors filed lawsuits under that updated law, courts ruled that the 2022 amendment couldn’t be applied retroactively. If the abuse happened before January 9, 2022, the clearer language didn’t protect those claims.

The consequences were devastating. In September 2025, a Bronx judge dismissed more than 450 lawsuits filed by survivors of abuse in city-run juvenile detention centers for abuse that reportedly occurred between the 1960s and 2010s. These survivors had come forward, hired attorneys, and filed claims under a prior lookback window that ran from March 2023 to March 2025. They were turned away not because their abuse didn’t happen, but because of how the law was written.

Bill 1297-A was passed to fix that. The NYC Council voted 48-0 in November 2025. Former Mayor Eric Adams vetoed it on Christmas Eve. The Council overrode him on January 29, 2026, and the law took immediate effect.

Who Qualifies Under the New Lookback Window

You may be eligible to file a civil lawsuit under the amended GMVA if:

• The abuse occurred anywhere in NYC’s five boroughs, which are Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, or Staten Island.
• It happened on or before January 9, 2022, notably, there is no floor on how far back.  Cases from the 1960s onward are already being litigated under this law.
• You were previously blocked by an expired statute of limitations or dismissed on procedural grounds.
• Your prior lawsuit was dismissed during the 2023–2025 lookback window, and  you may now amend or refile it under Bill 1297-A.
• You never filed before, but are now ready to come forward.

You do not need a criminal conviction.  You do not need to have filed a police report. Civil claims under the GMVA are completely independent of the criminal justice system. The standard of proof is preponderance of the evidence, meaning more likely than not, a significantly lower bar than a criminal trial.

Which Institutions Can Now Be Held Accountable

This is the heart of what Bill 1297-A changes. The amendment explicitly states that liability extends to any person or entity that “commits, directs, enables, participates in, or conspires in the commission of” gender-motivated violence. That language of “enables, participates in, conspires in” is what closes the loophole that allowed institutions to escape accountability for decades.

Under the amended law, survivors can now pursue civil claims against:

• City-run juvenile detention centers and government agencies, which are the institutions whose mass dismissal of cases drove this legislation into existence.
• Churches and religious organizations that concealed abuse or shielded perpetrators.
• Schools and universities that ignored complaints, failed to supervise staff, or looked the other way.
• Hotels, hospitals, and healthcare facilities where abuse occurred under their roof.
• Employers and workplaces that protected abusers or retaliated against those who reported the abuse to them.
• Residential treatment centers and group homes, which were expected to protect those in their care and failed to do so.

If an institution knew, or should have known, that abuse was occurring and failed to act, they may now be held legally and financially accountable. Not just the person who committed the abuse. The system that allowed it.

What You Can Recover

A successful civil claim under the GMVA can result in compensation for:

• Medical and mental health treatment costs, past and future
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress and PTSD-related damages
• Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
• Attorney’s fees

This is a civil case, not a criminal prosecution. The goal is not incarceration, it is financial accountability and a formal legal record that forces institutions to face what they did, and what they failed to prevent.

Why This Window May Be the Last

This is the second legislative revival window under the GMVA. The first ran from March 2023 to March 2025. This one runs 18 months from January 29, 2026. When it closes around July 29, 2027, ordinary statutes of limitations apply again, hence, many survivors will permanently lose the right to file after July 29, 2026.

There is no guarantee of a third window. Getting this one required a supermajority City Council vote to override a mayoral veto. The political path was hard. Counting on another opportunity is not a strategy.

Building a strong case also takes time as investigation, evidence gathering, identifying all liable parties, and developing a legal strategy built around your experience are all time-consuming undertakings. The earlier you begin, the stronger your position.

You May Still Have Options. Find Out Now.

At Constant Legal Group, we represent survivors of institutional sexual abuse in civil litigation against the individuals and organizations responsible, be it churches, hotels, schools, detention facilities, and government agencies. We have fought for survivors when powerful institutions said it was too late.

If you were sexually abused in New York City, we offer free, confidential case evaluations. There are no upfront costs. We only get paid if we recover compensation for you.

Call us today or visit constantllp.com.

The window is open. Your time to act is now.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Contact Constant Legal Group for a confidential evaluation specific to your circumstances.