TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CIVIL ACTIONS BROUGHT BY CERTAIN VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE; AND TO ALLOW A CLAIM TO BE BROUGHT FOR INJURY CAUSED BY CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AT ANY TIME IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.

Some sexual abuse survivors regain lawsuit access

This temporary Arkansas law lets some child sexual abuse survivors start or continue civil claims despite an expired deadline. The deadline must have expired under Arkansas Code § 16-56-116. Survivors must have been under 18 when their right to sue began. The injury must come from conduct that violated a criminal sex offense law in effect when the injury occurred. No criminal complaint, conviction, or guilty or no-contest plea is required. The civil claim must support a timely bankruptcy claim in the case a congressionally chartered organization started on February 18, 2020. Survivors can sue only an entity seeking or receiving protection under that case’s reorganization plan—not any other person or entity. The rule reaches qualifying offenses committed before the law’s effective date. It leaves other child sexual abuse lawsuit deadline laws unchanged. This temporary section is not added to the permanent code and expires on December 31, 2026.