Senator Fuller Clark Introduces Legislation Ending Statute of Limitations on Sexual Assault Cases

Contact Name: Sara Persechino

Phone: (603) 271-3479

Email: Sara.Persechino@leg.state.nh.us

CONCORD - Today, Senator Martha Fuller Clark (D-Portsmouth) introduced SB 508 to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill, if enacted, would end the statute of limitations for civil action based on a sexual assault and allow an action at any time. Current state statute dictates when the victim of assault was under the age of 18 at the time of their assault, action must be taken within twelve years of the person’s eighteenth birthday or three years after the time of discovery.

After the hearing, prime sponsor Senator Martha Fuller Clark (D-Portsmouth) issued the following statement:

“The damage done by sexual assault never truly goes away. We hear about cases from 20 or 30 years ago that would be winnable in court today, but prosecutors cannot move forward since the statute of limitations has passed. When we enact SB 508 and eliminate the statute of limitations, we give our court system the tools they need to build successful cases and give the survivors and their families the closure they deserve.”

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