When children are abused, some children don’t reveal to their parents or to any trustworthy adult that they were abused. Sometimes, abused children can repress the memories or block out what happened to them until something triggers it years later. For those Florida child sexual-abuse victims, they deserve to pursue justice against their abuser even years later. Fortunately, they can with the changing of the statute of limitation law.
Florida made significant changes to the statute of limitations on both criminal and civil claims relating to child abuse. A few years ago, Florida eliminated the statute of limitations on both civil and criminal sexual abuse claims. This now allows childhood abuse victims, under the age of 16 at the time of the abuse, to pursue a claim even though the previous state law would have barred it.
The new statute of limitations mean that if you were sexually abused at age 16 or younger that you can file a lawsuit against the abuser no matter how much time has passed—allowing you to seek justice through a court of law and recover damages for the harm you suffered.
Thanks to the state of Florida for having one of the best statutes of limitations surrounding child sexual abuse, child abuse victims who have repressed the abuse can now hold their sexual abusers accountable. To find out more, contact a Sarasota child abuse lawyer at Mallard Perez at 888-409-3805 for a free, private case consultation to start your journey toward justice and recovery today.