Seeking justice and healing for adult survivors of
childhood sexual abuse
Liz, The Firecracker Foundation founder Tashmica Torok, and Survivor Strong founder Amanda Thomashow at the 2019 Soulfire Gala
Since our firm's inception, we have been committed to serving survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Since 2015, Liz has served on the board of directors of The Firecracker Foundation, a mid-Michigan nonprofit that provides services, advocacy, and other support to CSA survivors. She spent three years serving on the executive committee as board president and secretary. In 2019, Liz was selected as the Foundation's annual Dubey-Zerka Award of Volunteer Excellence honoree. Liz also spent a number of years prior to opening her firm working and volunteering at several nonprofits providing legal representation and advocacy to survivors of CSA in human trafficking, family law, and disability matters.
Since Elizabeth Abdnour Law opened its doors in 2018, we have been contacted by numerous adult survivors of CSA who have needed our help with other legal issues, such as employment and disability discrimination, Title IX matters, and retaliation for raising concerns about abuse at work or at school. For a few lucky clients who were still under age 28, we have been able to seek justice from the individuals and institutions that abused them as children. However, in Michigan, once a survivor reaches 28 years old, they can no longer seek legal remedies from their abusers as the statute of limitations for bringing their claim has run. For many survivors, this closes the door to justice, as many people do not even begin to process and understand their abuse until well into adulthood.
In the past few years, in the wake of public awareness of the prevalence of CSA resulting from reports of widespread abuse by serial abusers such as Larry Nassar at Michigan State and Robert Anderson at the University of Michigan, some members of the Michigan Legislature have been working to extend that statute of limitations to allow adult survivors to seek legal remedies. In March 2022, several Michigan legislators introduced a package of bills that would have extended the civil statute of limitations for CSA survivors. Unfortunately, the bills have not been passed yet. More information about the bills can be found here.
We are closely monitoring legislative activity and are prepared to assist survivors who may wish to bring claims if and when Michigan's statute of limitations is extended or an amnesty period is opened. Unlike other law firms that handle CSA claims, our years of experience directly serving survivors has given us the knowledge and expertise to provide clients with additional tools they need when navigating CSA litigation beyond just legal representation, including:
We are optimistic that the Michigan Legislature will act soon, especially since President Biden signed into law the Eliminating Limits to Justice for Child Sex Abuse Victims Act in October 2022, eliminating the federal statute of limitations for civil claims involving CSA. However, this only affects federal claims, which does not help many survivors whose claims fall under state law.
Recent news related to extending state and federal CSA statutes of limitations:
Since Elizabeth Abdnour Law opened its doors in 2018, we have been contacted by numerous adult survivors of CSA who have needed our help with other legal issues, such as employment and disability discrimination, Title IX matters, and retaliation for raising concerns about abuse at work or at school. For a few lucky clients who were still under age 28, we have been able to seek justice from the individuals and institutions that abused them as children. However, in Michigan, once a survivor reaches 28 years old, they can no longer seek legal remedies from their abusers as the statute of limitations for bringing their claim has run. For many survivors, this closes the door to justice, as many people do not even begin to process and understand their abuse until well into adulthood.
In the past few years, in the wake of public awareness of the prevalence of CSA resulting from reports of widespread abuse by serial abusers such as Larry Nassar at Michigan State and Robert Anderson at the University of Michigan, some members of the Michigan Legislature have been working to extend that statute of limitations to allow adult survivors to seek legal remedies. In March 2022, several Michigan legislators introduced a package of bills that would have extended the civil statute of limitations for CSA survivors. Unfortunately, the bills have not been passed yet. More information about the bills can be found here.
We are closely monitoring legislative activity and are prepared to assist survivors who may wish to bring claims if and when Michigan's statute of limitations is extended or an amnesty period is opened. Unlike other law firms that handle CSA claims, our years of experience directly serving survivors has given us the knowledge and expertise to provide clients with additional tools they need when navigating CSA litigation beyond just legal representation, including:
- Individualized media and communications strategies
- Referrals to personally vetted advocates and therapists
- Assistance with seeking other benefits survivors may be eligible for such as Medicaid and rental housing assistance
- The support of a dedicated team member to help clients collect and organize information during the discovery process
We are optimistic that the Michigan Legislature will act soon, especially since President Biden signed into law the Eliminating Limits to Justice for Child Sex Abuse Victims Act in October 2022, eliminating the federal statute of limitations for civil claims involving CSA. However, this only affects federal claims, which does not help many survivors whose claims fall under state law.
Recent news related to extending state and federal CSA statutes of limitations:
- Bill Eliminates Federal Civil Statute of Limitations for Child Sex Abuse Victims, The Legal Examiner, October 14, 2022
- Michigan bills would give sexual assault survivors more time to file lawsuits, Detroit Free Press, March 23, 2022
- Anderson and Nassar survivors testify at hearing, express support for house bills protecting survivors of abuse, The Michigan Daily, September 30, 2021
