PCVA Attorneys Darrell Cochran, Chris Love, Ian Bauer, and Bridget Grotz, along with Representative Darya Farivar (D-46) and the Washington State Association of Justice (WSAJ) successfully collaborated over several years to pass House Bill 1618, which removes any statute of limitations for survivors of child sexual abuse to seek civil justice for the harm done to them.
House Bill 1618 will abolish the Washington Statute of Limitations for all survivors of child sexual assault if their abuse occurs on or after June 6, 2024. This bill was only passed due to the hard work, dedication, and collaboration by so many community advocates, WSAJ leadership, Representative Darya Farivar (D-46) and Senator Drew Hansen (D-23), PCVA attorneys, and so many others. Banding together is the only way we can abolish the limitations survivors of child sexual abuse face while recovering from the injustices they have experienced.
PCVA Partner Chris Love, who wrote the first draft of the bill, said, “This bill moves Washington more in line with the national trend of taking a trauma and survivor-centered approach to this issue by abolishing the statute of limitations moving forward. It is a bold, first step in the right direction.”
Past PCVA client and survivor of child sexual abuse, Courtney Butler, shared her traumatic experience of surviving child sexual assault with legislators and how the statute of limitations almost prevented her from seeking justice for the years of time she was living in a traumatized state. It takes time and work, which often lasts years, to heal yourself after sexual assault to be ready to face your reality/trauma and be okay enough to pursue legal action against your abuser.
Chris Love recruited Child USA and the National Crime Victims Bar Association to speak at public hearings on the bill to provide statistical evidence that supports how important this bill is for the public and Washington residents. These organizations presented that as many as one in four and one in six boys have been sexually abused. These alarmingly high statistics demonstrate how we need to support survivors of abuse and allow them to fight back and hold abusers accountable – this bill will help us do this for our clients.
At Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala, we are proud to be one of the leading law firms in the United States fighting for the rights of sexual abuse survivors, representing more than 1,000 people who have filed lawsuits under the Child Victims Act and Adult Survivors Act in New York and hundreds of cases in New Jersey for the Child Victims Act, as well as many more survivors of abuse and injury in Washington and California.
Learn more about House Bill 1618 and how this legislation will impact survivors of child sexual abuse:
https://fb.watch/r4dJwF058n/