(Bloomberg) -- New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday signed a bill granting a one-year window to file sexual assault claims no matter how long ago the abuse occurred, providing a workaround on statutes of limitations that have often silenced victims.

"People have waited long enough and that is why we are here today," Hochul said at the bill's signing on Tuesday. She said the bill was "a victory for justice” and warned abusers that “your time is up. Your victims will see you in court and you will be brought to justice.”

The Adult Survivors Act, which was sponsored by State Senator Brad Hoylman and Assembly member Linda Rosenthal, will temporarily waive the statute of limitations against sexual-assault claims, and allow those who were at least 18 years old at the time of their abuse to file lawsuits against the people and institutions that either abused them, or allowed for the abuse to happen.

It is modeled after the 2019 Child Victims Act, which allowed victims who were minors at the time of their abuse a one-year widow to press charges.

The bill allowed for Virginia Giuffre to press charges in 2021 against Britain’s Prince Andrew, who has denied Giuffre’s claims and alleged that the Child Victims Act is unconstitutional. It also resulted in over 10,800 cases filed between August 2019 and August 2021, according to advocacy group Child USA. The bill was extended by a year due to the Covid pandemic and at least 3,000 claims were filed between July 2021 and the extension's end.

Hochul said she could "feel a seismic shift" in 2017, when sexual-assault survivors amplified the Me Too movement and spoke out against abusers. Through the Child Victims Act we “finally saw people liberated and coming forth,” she said.  “But it forgot a lot of people. What about the people were adults when they experienced this trauma? We didn't do enough to protect those individuals until today."

The current statute of limitations for second-degree rape in New York state is 20 years, while third-degree rape allegations can be brought forward up to 10 years after the attack. The statutes were both updated from a five-year window in 2019 by former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned last year over sexual harassment allegations. Other felony offenses, such as some forms of sexual abuse, still retain a five-year statute of limitations. Sexual misconduct carries a two-year statute of limitations in New York state, according to the survivor-advocacy group RAINN.

 “Courthouse doors across our state will be flung open so you can confront your abusers and seek the justice that was too long denied you,” Hoylman said.

The New York law follows similar legislation signed by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy in 2019 that gave survivors of sex-abuse crimes a two-year window to file claims regardless of how long ago the violations occurred. Following the law, at  least 880 lawsuits were filed between Dec. 1, 2019, and Sept. 30, 2021, the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts told NJ.com.

The Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York, a group that lobbies on behalf of insurance, health-care and other businesses to reduce what it calls lawsuit abuse, said the bill won’t prevent abuse. Instead, executive director Tom Stebbins said it will encourage plaintiffs and lawyers to target wealthy defendants or companies

"Rather than corrupt our civil justice system with retroactive lawsuits only available to some, the legislature should push for measures that proactively protect New Yorkers," Stebbens said.

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