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Case guide

Time limits for claims of child sex abuse

Do not rule out a claim only because a revival window ended. Ask which law applies to your abuse, age and dates.

See If You Qualify

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Updated Oct 4, 202613 sources

This may apply to you if

  • Tell the lawyer which youth facility you were held in and your age at the time of the harm.
  • Explain the harm you want reviewed in your own words.
  • Ask which law applies to the type of harm, where it happened and when it happened.

What the public record says

These are cited sources. Their inclusion does not imply that they endorse People’s Justice or reviewed this page.

Rob Bonta · California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General · California Attorney General making the July 23, 2025 request

Finding: The Attorney General asked a court to place Los Angeles County juvenile halls under court-appointed management and to create a fund for youth harmed during the County’s noncompliance. The announcement described requests, not a granted order or an individual award.

Attorney General Bonta Asks Court to Place Los Angeles County Juvenile Halls in Receivership (opens in a new tab) · Jul 23, 2025 · Checked Oct 3, 2026

The short answer

What is a revival window?
A revival window reopens some claims once barred by time limits. California’s 2020 window covered certain child sex-abuse claims. It did not cover all detention harm. [1]
Did California’s old window close every option?
No, that window alone does not decide your options today. California’s law can also allow a later ordinary time limit. Ask how the full rule fits your claim. [4]
Does the newer law make all old abuse timeless?
No. The new California rule covers some child sex abuse from January 1, 2024 on. Older acts follow other rules. [2]
Can a claim against an institution have extra steps?
Some claims against institutions have extra steps. Some older filers need certificates from a lawyer and care expert. Ask which steps fit your claim. [4]

What rules a case out

Not covered by this case

  • This page does not decide your diagnosis, right to sue, filing date or payment.

The process

What happens next

  1. 01

    You answer a few questions

    About two minutes. Nothing is sent until you agree on the last step and press submit.

  2. 02

    A lawyer looks at it

    A lawyer at the firm reads your answers and checks them against the current case criteria.

  3. 03

    The firm decides and gets in touch

    If the firm takes your case, you get the terms in writing to read before you sign. You can always say no.

What is a revival window?

A revival window reopens some claims once barred by time limits. California’s 2020 window covered certain child sex-abuse claims. It did not cover all detention harm.

Separate a reopening law from an ordinary time limit. Tell the lawyer whether a prior case was filed, settled or decided. Ask which version of the law applies before interpreting a date on an old advertisement.

Did California’s old window close every option?

No, that window alone does not decide your options today. California’s law can also allow a later ordinary time limit. Ask how the full rule fits your claim.

The statute distinguishes age-based timing from discovery of harm. It includes what a person reasonably should have discovered, not only what they actually knew. A lawyer should explain that distinction using your history.

Does the newer law make all old abuse timeless?

No. The new California rule covers certain child sex abuse from January 1, 2024 onward. Older acts have different rules.

Do not use the date of a recent diagnosis as a substitute for the date of the assault. If events span periods, list them separately. Ask how the rules apply to each event and each proposed defendant.

Can a claim against an institution have extra steps?

Some claims against institutions have extra steps. Some older filers need certificates from a lawyer and care expert. Ask which steps fit your claim.

Ask counsel which certificates, allegations and supporting facts are required. This page supplies no filing form or personal cutoff. The childhood sexual-assault statute should not be used to decide a distinct missed-care or force claim.

Is an enforcement case my filing clock?

The state’s 2025 youth-hall request did not set every survivor’s filing date. It asked for specific court action. Ask about your personal time limit on its own.

Give a lawyer the facility location, your age during the events and any prior filings. An agency’s request for a fund is not an enrollment notice for you. Keep a personal filing question separate from a court’s management dispute.

How can I get a clear deadline explanation?

Ask which claim, court and triggering date the lawyer is using. Request the answer and proposed next step in plain words. Ask for written fee terms before agreeing to representation.

Explain uncertainty about dates instead of guessing to match a form. Ask how missing facts will be checked and whether any action is urgent. Avoid relying on a promise that all survivors have the same amount of time.

Scientific evidence for this case

Abuse in youth detention · Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice · 2018Cross-sectional

Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities: Findings from the National Survey of Youth in Custody

9.5% of surveyed youth reported sexual victimization — extrapolated to tens of thousands of victims annually across the juvenile system

Abuse in youth detention · Journal of Traumatic Stress · 2017Cross-sectional

The Prevalence of ICD-11 Complex PTSD Among Survivors of Institutional Abuse

21.4% of institutional abuse survivors met ICD-11 diagnostic criteria for Complex PTSD

Abuse in youth detention · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · 2015Cohort

Long-Term Outcomes of Juvenile Incarceration: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

Juvenile incarceration increased the likelihood of adult incarceration by 23 percentage points

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Sources

  1. Section 1, former CCP 340.1(q)–(r)California AB 218, chaptered session law · regulator
  2. Section 1, CCP 340.1(a), (p)California AB 452, chaptered session law · regulator
  3. Subsections (a), (c), (p), (q); effective January 1, 2024California CCP 340.1, current statute · regulator
  4. Subsections (a)(1), (c), (d), (f)–(g), (q); added by SB 558, effective January 1, 2024California CCP 340.11, current statute · regulator
  5. April 4, 2025 notice, paragraphs on approval and allocationLA County April 2025 agreement notice · regulator
  6. November 19, 2025 notice, approval-history paragraphLA County retrospective approval confirmation · regulator
  7. October 28, 2025 recommendation, pages 1–3LA County later proposed agreement board paper · regulator
  8. July 23, 2025 notice, conditions and requested reliefCalifornia Attorney General juvenile-hall motion notice · court
  9. December 2019 report page, abstract and highlightsBJS youth survey, 2018 data · regulator
  10. Contact Us, National Sexual Assault HotlineRAINN contact information
  11. Medical-care and support sectionsRAINN finding medical care
  12. Rule 1.5(b)–(c)ABA model fee rule
  13. Calling 911, emergency assistance911 emergency help · regulator

Checked against 11 primary sources by People's Justice editors · Updated

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People's Justice research team · Updated Oct 4, 2026