Texas House Bill 3809 goes into effect on Sept. 1 and will double the time in which child sex abuse victims can file civil claims against individual abusers as well as institutions. Texas’s prior statute of limitations for personal injury claims arising from child sex abuse was 15 years and started to run when the victim turned 18. The amended law addresses this by extending the statute of limitations for claims arising from six specific offenses involving child sex abuse. It lets victims of childhood sexual abuse bring civil lawsuits against abusers and institutions up to 30 years after their 18th birthday.
Robin Cohen and McKool Smith Principal Lauren Varnado recently published an article in The Texas Lawbook titled “Institutions and Insurance After Texas Doubles Time Limit on Child Sex Abuse Claims” discussing the economic, political and societal pressures and the importance for institutions to carefully evaluate their insurance policies and maximize their insurance recovery. Click here to read the full article.