By Maria Carter
Kansas City, MO – Sexual abuse victims applauded a Missouri state Supreme Court ruling yesterday, allowing more victims to sue their abusers. KCUR's Maria Carter reports.
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The ruling early this week extends the statute of limitations for civil litigation in sexual abuse cases changing the starting point from the date of the act to when the victim realized the damage. Victims now have five years from when they remembered being abused to file a suit. Lawyer Rebecca Randles says because of the recent decision sexual abuse will now be treated like other injuries in civil litigation.
Rebecca Randles: "Individuals who've been injured otherwise have been able to have acces to the courts and they have been able to make the argument that they didn't know they're injury had started until a time later, so now sexual abuse victims are in the same class as every other individual who's been harmed."
Randles says the ruling will help more 20 sexual abuse cases move forward in the Kansas City area.