Do I still have time to submit a sexual abuse claim if I was victimized when I was young?

The Statutes of Limitations(SOL) for reporting a childhood sexual abuse matter is pretty broad. The victim has a three-year window after the incident has been diagnosed as being impactful to report such. 

Therefore, it doesn’t matter how long after the crime that you become emotionally or psychologically affected, but how long after being involved that you report the matter. A Seattle WA Sex Abuse Attorney can help you seek justice.

It usually requires a forensic examination from a mental health expert to deduce if a victim is conscious of the damage that was inflicted due to the sexual abuse trauma.

Impeded Childhood Sexual Abuse Trauma

Washington’s courts have invariably judged against the perpetrator or those who should have prevented childhood sexual harassment. A Seattle WA sex abuse lawyer knows that according to the Supreme Court, the adjusted SOL aims to provide a broad path of redress for childhood sexual assault victims. 

It adds that a lawsuit arising from an incidence of childhood abuse doesn’t start running until the survivor learns ‘that the act caused the damage for which the claim is brought.”  

The Legislature’s purpose is ‘that the earlier discovery of less serious injuries does not impact the statute of limitations for injuries discovered later.” 

According to the unique SOL, it is not inconsistent for a survivor to realize he has been victimized for several years but not be aware of the possible tort lawsuit against his abuser.” Ibid., p. 773. 

“Indeed, as our Legislature has discovered, the survivor of childhood sexual assault can be unable to grasp or make the link between the youth abuse and the entire breadth of the arising emotional damage until several years later.” Summers v. Cloud, 98 Wn. App. 724, 735, 991 P.2d 1169; Cloud v. Summers, 98 Wn. App. 724, 735; Cloud v. Summers, 98 Wn. App (1999).

Washington Childhood Sexual Abuse SOL

A Sex Abuse Attorney in Seattle WA knows that the Washington Court of Appeals recently ruled that the particular statute of limitations that applies to civil cases arising from deliberate childhood sexual abuse is unusual. It does not begin to function until the victim learns the injury. 

Instead, it focuses on whether a sexual assault survivor discovers a causal connection between the abuse and the injury for which the suit is filed. 

Victims may be aware that they are experiencing emotional harm or trauma, but they may not understand the connection between those symptoms and the violence. Horsley v. B.R., 186 Wash.App. 294 (2015).

Recovering from Childhood Sexual Abuse Many Years After

The majority of victims of childhood sexual abuse are knowledgeable that they were harmed as kids. However, they do not associate their various physical and emotional traumas with the repeated actions. 

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse are constantly oblivious that the abuse is impacting their jobs, families, intimacy, and personal lives. A sex abuse lawyer in Seattle WA deals with individuals who were abused as children and have struggled with addiction in addition to failure to maintain long-term relationships as adults. 

The Washington legislature has acknowledged these wrongdoings and has made victims recoup many years after the crime occurred. A Seattle WA sexual abuse attorney can assist you.

What Are Your Options?

Do not let the uncertainty of the statute of limitations prohibit you from reaching out to an attorney to talk about your case if it involves childhood sexual abuse. If you were sexually assaulted by a Washington resident or in that state, you almost certainly have a valid compensation claim. Contact a seasoned Seattle WA Sexual Abuse Lawyer at Albert Law PLLC right away.

At every level of life, we have assisted individuals who have been victims of sexual harassment or violence. Our legal team believes that individuals who have been harmed in this way should be provided with all the resources they require to live a safe life in the future.