How the Statute of Limitations Affects Childhood Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

Sex abuse is a traumatic experience, no matter when it happens. If this event has happened to you or someone you love, it can deeply impact your life, and you may want to know about your legal options. Childhood sex abuse cases, in particular, can be damaging, have long-lasting effects, and make survivors feel isolated and incapable of receiving justice. 

Fortunately, survivors aren’t alone. Justice can be done in their cases, but it’s critical to understand how these types of lawsuits work and how the Statute of Limitations (SOL) affects their potential outcomes. 

Why You Should File a Childhood Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

It can be difficult to face the process of filing a lawsuit with trauma that occurred a long time ago. In cases of childhood sex abuse, survivors may not feel like revisiting what happened and may want to just move on with their lives. However, there are several reasons to file a lawsuit, including receiving compensation as part of justice for your case. 

When you survive sexual assault or abuse, there are numerous ways that it can affect your life, including incurring various costs. If you choose to pursue a civil case, you can receive compensation that can help you pay for the following:

• Medical bills
• Lost earning capacity/wages
• Pain and suffering
• Counseling
• Other treatments/therapy

Even if the abuse happened during the survivor’s childhood, it can still be affecting them as adults. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) can affect survivors of abuse or assault for years, even after the abuse stopped.  

These lasting effects can impact every facet of an individual’s life and make them feel trapped in a cycle. Pursuing a civil case can offer closure and help the individual heal from their trauma.

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Nevada Statute of Limitations on Childhood Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

Before you start learning about your legal rights, you may have questions about how you file a lawsuit for abuse that may have happened in the survivor’s childhood. Fortunately, just because abuse may have happened in the survivor’s childhood doesn’t mean it’s impossible to file a lawsuit. 

In cases where sexual abuse was enacted against a child, the survivor has up to 10 years after turning 18 to file any civil cases against the perpetrator. The statute also explains that survivors can file civil cases within 10 years after the discovery that an injury was caused by the abuse. 

As long as you have clear evidence that abuse occurred, individuals wishing to pursue legal actions in Nevada have no outside legal limitations. 

Signs That an Individual May Have Suffered Childhood Sexual Abuse

Once an individual becomes an adult, certain signs and symptoms are common among survivors of childhood sexual assault. These symptoms can range from emotional to physical, but they can vary from person to person.

Physical Signs of Abuse

Most commonly, survivors of assault as children can suffer from chronic pain in the abdomen and pelvic regions. They are also more likely to suffer from eating disorders, including Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa. 

Additionally, adults who were abused as children are four to five times more likely to have abused drugs and alcohol and lack general self-care. They are also more likely to engage in self-harm like cutting or other damage that causes scarring. 

Emotional Signs of Abuse

In addition to common mental symptoms like anxiety, depression, and low self-worth, survivors can suffer from many other psychological effects due to their trauma. Some of these effects are:

• Amnesia
• Distrust
• Feeling alienated
• Flashbacks
• Fear
• Shame
• Negative self belief

These psychological effects can lead to an individual’s decreased ability to form long-term, interpersonal relationships. They can also create long-term sexual impacts like engaging in high-risk activities without proper protection as a way to self-harm. 

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How to File a Civil Case for Sexual Abuse

If you or someone you care about has suffered from childhood sexual abuse, it may not be too late to file a case with a personal injury attorney. At Van Law Firm, we treat all cases of this nature with the utmost care and concern.

When you hire Van Law to represent you, our attorneys will be with you every step of your case. They’ll work hard to earn you justice and fair compensation. Our experienced legal team is standing by, so call us today. Our consultations are always free.