ALBANY, N.Y. (WKBW) — In his daily briefing on Friday, Governor Cuomo announced the look-back window in New York State's Child Victims Act will be extended by five months, to January 14, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The look-back window, initially slated to only last one year, allows any victim of child sex abuse to file claims against alleged abusers with no statute of limitations-- meaning the alleged abuse could have happened decades ago. The window opened on August 14, 2019.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of business and government operations in New York State, including how local and state courts conduct proceedings. The New York State court system is open for essential business, but some cases are being rescheduled. The NYS courts website indicates "parties will be advised of rescheduled court dates when normal business resumes."
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