An Alabama lawmaker has filled a bill that would extend the time that victims of child sex abuse can bring civil suits.
The bill, SB 127, sponsored by Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Pleasant Grove, would extend the statute of limitations from six years to 36 years after the victim has turned 19. The bill would make that retroactive.
Under the legislation, sexual abuse victims would be able to file lawsuits up until the age of 55. Under current law, civil actions must be filed before a victim turns 25.
Coleman was not available for comment. The bill has the support of abuse survivors, including Stuart Vance, one of three men who accused a former Randolph School teacher of abusing them in the 1970s and 80s. The teacher, Delbert Bailey, denied the accusations in an interview with AL.com in 2019.
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