Bill > HB121

This bill proposes an amendment to the Alabama Constitution to allow the Legislature to pass laws that would revive civil lawsuits related to child sexual abuse, even if those lawsuits would normally be too old to file due to time limits. The bill acknowledges that child sexual abuse is a serious crime with devastating long-term effects, and that survivors often delay reporting due to trauma, making it difficult to seek justice under current laws. The proposed amendment would grant the Legislature the authority to create laws that could revive these claims, regardless of statutes of limitations (laws setting deadlines for filing lawsuits), statutes of repose (laws that set an absolute deadline for claims, regardless of when the harm was discovered), or notice-of-claim requirements (rules about informing a party before suing). However, this revival would not apply to claims that have already been fully decided in court or settled with a signed agreement where payment was made, nor would it affect existing final judgments. The definition of child sexual abuse includes sexual conduct directed at individuals under 19 years of age that is or would be punishable under criminal law. This amendment specifically targets civil claims and does not affect criminal prosecutions. The bill also outlines the process for putting this proposed constitutional amendment to a vote of the people.

Justice

https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/bill-search