February 14, 2019 (Queens County, NY): Jose Nieves, who is running to become the next Queens County District Attorney, announced today that, if elected, he plans to have his office provide information and assistance to any residents of Queen who wish to pursue claims per the recently enacted Child Victims Act.
In making the announcement, Nieves indicated that this was part of his overall plan to change the focus of the District Attorney’s office – and to utilize its resources in progressive ways. “As I’ve said before, I want to make the Queens DA’s Office a more positive and pro-active part of our community”, Nieves said. “One of the ways we can do that is to have the office provide advice and assistance to local residents who are affected by new laws like the Child Victims Act”.
Prior to the passage of the new law, the statute of limitations in sex abuse cases in New York State only allowed childhood victims until their 23rd birthday to sue their abuser or the institution that employed their abuser. Now, all such victims will able to pursue claims until they reach the age of 55. The bill will also extend the timeframes for prosecutors to bring criminal charges: i.e., in felony cases, charges can now be brought until the victim turns 28 – and in misdemeanor cases, until the victim turns 23.
In addition to changing the statute of limitations with respect to new cases of childhood sexual abuse, the Child Victims Act will also allow prior victims a one-year “look-back period” to file lawsuits against their abusers. That section of the law, which will take effect in six months, will allow victims of any age to bring appropriate claims against responsible parties regardless of when the offense occurred.
Nieves said that he has supported changing New York State’s law on this subject throughout his professional career. “As someone who has been involved in pursuing charges against sexual abusers, I am well aware that it often takes victims many years before they can even talk about what happened to them, let alone think about taking legal action against their abusers”, Nieves said. “And the younger the age of the victim at the time of the abuse, the longer that period of time can be”.
Nieves said that he and his staff will be conducting special Town Hall meetings throughout Queens to make sure that residents are aware of their rights under the Child Victims Act. He also indicated that he would be posting information about the new law on the DA Office’s website and on several social media platforms.
For more information about Jose’s blueprint for changing the Queens County DA’s Office, please visit:
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