Bill > H1732

This bill modifies two key areas of Massachusetts law related to sexual assault and child sexual abuse: civil litigation and criminal prosecution. First, in civil rights actions, the bill updates the statute of limitations for sexual assault and sexual abuse cases involving minors by referencing a specific section of law (G.L. c. 260, section 4C½) that will govern the timeframe for filing such lawsuits, effectively providing more flexibility for victims to pursue legal action. Second, in criminal prosecutions, the bill eliminates the time limit for filing indictments or complaints for specific sexual offenses (indecent assault and battery or rape) when the victim was under 18 years old at the time of the offense. This means that survivors of child sexual abuse can seek criminal charges against their perpetrators at any point in the future, removing previous temporal restrictions that might have prevented prosecution. The bill aims to provide greater legal recourse and support for survivors of childhood sexual abuse by extending both civil and criminal legal options.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1732