Cosby Accusers Act as Catalyst for Conversation on Statutes of Limitations
The seven women who have said they were sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby have helped bring the discussion on statutes of limitation on sexual assault cases to the table. These seven women live in different places and have different lives but in each of their cases, by the time they decided to come forward, many years after they say they were attacked, their ability to press for criminal charges was prevented by a statute of limitations. Although none of these women will benefit directly from changes in the laws, they said they still felt compelled to get involved.
In the past couple of years, at least six states have extended or eliminated their statutes of limitations on sexual assaults. There is also a greater climate of awareness on accusations of sexual assault shown in the outrage sparked by individual crimes.
There are two sides to the issue of extending or eliminating statutes of limitation on sexual assaults. Those who support strict statutes of limitations feel that getting rid of them puts defendants at a severe disadvantage and could risk putting innocent people in jail because of bad memory and deteriorating evidence. On the other side, experts say that women who have been sexually assaulted are reluctant to report it. It may take years for them to get the courage to come forward. Advocates say that the limitations prevent accusers from bringing criminal cases even when there is ample evidence and that they should still have a chance to try their cases in court.
Henrichsen Siegel has decades of experience in handling sexual harassment and assault cases in the workplace, schools, public accommodations, etc. You can find out more on our website: http://www.hslawyers.com/practice-areas-2/employment-law/sexual-harassment/.