Alabama legislation that would give victims of childhood sex abuse more time to sue their abusers has stalled in a committee amid opposition from insurance companies, the bill’s sponsor said.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has not scheduled a vote on the bill that would extend the statute of limitations for civil actions from six years to 36 years.
Sen. Merika Coleman, the bill’s sponsor, expressed frustration over the bill’s delay.
Coleman said she met with insurance industry representatives Wednesday morning. She said they expressed concerns about possible liability for entities, such as a church, that might not have had knowledge about the abuse.
She said they are working to craft language that targets the perpetrator but “does not hit folks that have no knowledge.”
Alabama law currently gives a six-year window into adulthood, ending at age 25, for a person to file a civil lawsuit over sexual abuse they suffered as a child.
That time frame is too short for victims, who often don’t publicly disclose what happened to them until adulthood, proponents of the bill said.
The bill would raise the timeframe to 36 years, or age 55.
Victims of childhood abuse are working to change the law in Alabama and elsewhere.
