Statute of Limitations Increased in New York for Civil Suits Related to Injury Caused by Domestic Violence

Governor Andrew Cuomo today signed legislation (S.2416/A.1945) to increase the statute of limitations for civil suits related to injury caused by domestic violence to two years. Under current law, civil suits for domestic violence must be initiated within one year after the incident and the law fails to take into consideration the highly emotional and extremely difficult factors involved in domestic violence situations that often prevent survivors from making the decision to initiate a civil suit. The new law recognizes the sensitive nature of domestic violence and affords victims two years to initiate a civil suit against their abuser. The bill takes effect immediately. 

"The trauma of domestic violence can take years to overcome, and frankly one year isn't enough time for survivors to come to terms with what happened to them and to take action against their attacker," Governor Cuomo said. "This new measure will help address this injustice, providing victims more time to file a lawsuit and ensuring people who are guilty of domestic violence are held accountable." 

Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo