Apr. 15, 2016

HARRISBURG—Rep. John Taylor (R-Philadelphia) joined a majority of his colleagues in passing legislation to extend the statute of limitations in sexual assault cases.

House Bill 1947 was written to protect children and ensure that victims are able to hold their abusers accountable for their crimes and to seek damages for the pain they’ve endured,” Taylor said.

The bill would remove the criminal statute of limitations on sexual assault cases, and expand the statute on civil cases until the victim reaches the age of 50.

Currently, adult victims of sexual assault have 12 years to report the crime in Pennsylvania, as do victims under the age of 18 before August 2002. Sexual assault victims under the age of 18 born after August 2002 have 32 years after their 18th birthday to file criminal charges. On the civil side, a victim currently has until the age of 30 to file a lawsuit.

Under House Bill 1947 if an individual entitled to bring a civil action for child sexual abuse is under the age of 18 years at the time of the offense, the individual will have a period of 32 years after attaining the age of 18 in which to commence an action for damages. As amended in the House, this extended limitations period is declared retroactive, and so will revive lawsuits that were barred by the statute of limitations prior to the enactment of this bill.

“Too many perpetrators have been able to escape punishment both criminally and civilly by relying on the lapsing of the statute of limitations,” Taylor said. “This bill is a victory for crime victims who were often too young to speak up.”

Representative John Taylor
177th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Media Contact: David Foster
267.207.0207
dfoster@pahousegop.com
RepTaylor.com / Facebook.com/RepTaylor
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