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S2616ACivil Procedure

Courts and Civil Procedure - Procedure Generally - Causes of Action

This bill extends the time limits for childhood sexual abuse victims to file lawsuits against abusers and enablers.

On the floor69 Yea4 Nay2 Not voting
Population
Affected
8
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 13, 2026Committee Senate Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This bill changes the time limits for victims of childhood sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits against their abusers or those who failed to prevent or report the abuse. It allows lawsuits to be filed up to 35 years after the abuse occurred or 7 years after the victim discovers the harm, whichever is later. It also creates a special window, open until June 30, 2028, for victims to file lawsuits that were previously blocked because the old time limits had expired. Finally, it limits the damages that can be awarded if the lawsuit is against the state or local government.

For younger readers

This bill changes the rules about how long a person has to go to court if they were hurt by an adult when they were a kid. Usually, there is a time limit to ask a judge for help. This bill gives people much more time to ask for help, sometimes up to 35 years later. It also gives a special second chance to people who missed the old time limits, letting them go to court until the year 2028. It applies to the people who hurt them and the people who knew about it but didn't stop it.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Childhood sexual abuse survivorsEducational institutionsReligious organizationsState and local governmentsYouth organizations
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

Reviving previously time-barred claims (the "revival window") may face challenges under the Due Process Clause, as defendants often argue they have a vested right to the expiration of a statute of limitations. However, many courts have upheld such laws specifically for childhood sexual abuse.

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Provides a pathway to justice for victims of childhood sexual abuse by reviving previously expired claims, allowing survivors to hold abusers and institutions accountable.
  • Unifies the statute of limitations for both direct abusers and those who negligently supervised, hired, or concealed the abuse, ensuring institutions (like schools or churches) face equal accountability.
  • Extends the statute of limitations significantly (35 years or 7 years from discovery), recognizing the psychological reality that trauma survivors often take decades to process and report abuse.
  • Caps damages against the State of Rhode Island and its political subdivisions at $100,000, severely limiting the financial compensation available to victims abused in state care or public schools.
  • Exempts the state and local governments from paying prejudgment interest on these claims, giving the government special protections that private institutions do not receive.
  • The revival window for older claims is temporary and strictly closes on June 30, 2028, meaning victims who do not come forward by this arbitrary deadline will once again lose their right to sue.
For Conservatives
  • Protects taxpayers by strictly capping financial damages against the state and local governments at $100,000, preventing massive payouts from public funds.
  • Exempts government entities from prejudgment interest on claims, further protecting state and municipal budgets from exorbitant legal costs.
  • Places a definitive end date (June 30, 2028) on the revival of expired claims, ensuring that businesses and organizations will not face indefinite retroactive liability.
  • Retroactively revives expired legal claims, undermining the traditional rule of law regarding statutes of limitations and exposing individuals and organizations to lawsuits for decades-old events.
  • Imposes a mandatory 12% annual prejudgment interest rate on private defendants for revived claims, which could financially devastate businesses, churches, or private organizations.
  • Expands liability for indirect parties by treating claims of negligent supervision, hiring, or failure to report the same as direct abuse, increasing the legal burden on employers and organizations.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

2 versions
Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 42 additions · 25 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 9-1-51 of the General Laws in Chapter 9-1 entitled "Causes of Action" is hereby amended to read as follows: 9-1-51. Limitation on actions based on sexual abuse or exploitation of a child. (a)(1) All claims or causes of action brought against a perpetrator defendant party by any person for recovery of damages for injury suffered as a result of sexual abuse, including alleging negligent supervision of a person that sexually abused a minor, or that the defendant's conduct caused or contributed to the childhood sexual abuse by another person to include, but not be limited to, wrongful conduct, negligence or default in supervision, hiring, employment, training, monitoring, or failure to report and/or the concealment of sexual abuse of a child shall be commenced within the later to expire of:

(i) Thirty-five (35) years of the act alleged to have caused the injury or condition; or

(ii) Seven (7) years from the time the victim discovered or reasonably should have discovered that the injury or condition was caused by the act. Provided, however, that the time limit or commencement of such an action under this section shall be tolled for a child until the child reaches eighteen (18) years of age. For the purposes of this section, “sexual abuse” shall have the same meaning as in subsection (e) of this section.

(2) All claims or causes A claim or cause of action brought against a non-perpetrator defendant by any person alleging negligent supervision of a person that sexually abused a minor, or that the non-perpetrator defendant’s conduct caused or contributed to the childhood sexual abuse by another person to include, but not be limited to, wrongful conduct, neglect or default in supervision, hiring, employment, training, monitoring, or failure to report and/or the concealment of sexual abuse of a child shall be commenced within the later to expire of:

(i) Thirty-five (35) years of the act or acts alleged to have caused an injury or condition to the minor; or

(ii) Seven (7) years from the time the victim discovered or reasonably should have discovered that the injury or condition was caused by the act. Provided, however, that the time limit or commencement of such an action under this section shall be tolled for a child until the child reaches eighteen (18) years of age. For purposes of this section “sexual abuse” shall have the same meaning as in subsection

(e) of this section.

(3) As to a perpetrator defendant, any claim or cause of action based on conduct of sexual abuse may be commenced within the time period enumerated in subsections (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) regardless if the claim was time-barred under previous version of the general laws.

(4) Except as provided in subsection (a)(3) herein, any claim or cause of action based on conduct of sexual abuse or conduct that caused or contributed to sexual abuse, if the action is not otherwise time-barred under previous version of the general laws on the effective date of this section, may be commenced within the time period enumerated in subsections (a)(1) and (a)(2) of this section based on conduct of sexual abuse or conduct that caused or contributed to sexual abuse, including alleging negligent supervision of a person that sexually abused a minor or that the defendant's conduct caused or contributed to the childhood sexual abuse by another person to include, but not be limited to, wrongful conduct, negligence or default in supervision, hiring, employment, training, monitoring, or failure to report and/or the concealment of sexual abuse of a child regardless if the claims were time-barred under previous versions of the general laws on the effective date of this section, may be commenced within the time period enumerated in subsections (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) of this section.

(3) Notwithstanding any other law, a cause of action for damages that involves sexual conduct or sexual contact with a child, including alleging negligent supervision of a person that sexually abused a minor, or that the defendant's conduct caused or contributed to the childhood sexual abuse by another person to include, but not be limited to, wrongful conduct, negligence or default in supervision, hiring, employment, training, monitoring, or failure to report and/or the concealment of sexual abuse of a child, and that would be time barred because of an applicable statute of limitations shall be revived and shall be commenced by no later than June 30, 2028.

(b) The victim need not establish which act in a series of continuing sexual abuse or exploitation incidents caused the injury complained of, but may compute the date of discovery from the date of the last act by the same perpetrator defendant which is part of a common scheme or plan of sexual abuse or exploitation.

(c) The knowledge of a custodial parent or guardian shall not be imputed to a person under the age of eighteen (18) years.

(d) For purposes of this section, “child” means a person under the age of eighteen (18) years.

(e) As used in this section, “sexual abuse” means any act committed by the defendant against a complainant who was less than eighteen (18) years of age at the time of the act and which act would have been a criminal violation of chapter 37 of title 11.

(f) All claims or causes of action made pursuant to this section against the State of Rhode Island or any political subdivision thereof shall be exempt from the application of prejudgment interest pursuant to § 9-21-10.

(g) All claims or causes of action made pursuant to this section against the State of Rhode Island or any political subdivision thereof shall be subject to the limitations of damages set forth in §§ 9-31-1, 9-31-2, or 9-31-3 and any damages recovered therein shall not exceed the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000).

(h) In all actions filed pursuant to § 9-1-51(a)(3), other than those actions filed against the State of Rhode Island or any political subdivision thereof, in which a verdict is rendered or a decision made for pecuniary damages, there shall be added by the clerk of the court to the amount of damages interest at the rate of twelve percent (12%) per annum thereon from the date of written notice of the claim by the claimant or his or her representative to the defendant or the defendant’s insurer or the filing of the action, whichever comes first.

SECTION 2. Chapter 9-1 of the General Laws entitled "Causes of Action" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 9-1-55. Severability. If any provision of this chapter or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this chapter, which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this chapter are declared to be severable.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.