File #: Int 1297-2025    Version: * Name: Reopening the lookback window to the victims of gender-motivated violence protection law.
Type: Introduction Status: Committee
Committee: Committee on Women and Gender Equity
On agenda: 5/28/2025
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to reopening the lookback window to the victims of gender-motivated violence protection law
Sponsors: Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, Farah N. Louis, Shahana K. Hanif, Chris Banks, Lincoln Restler, Gale A. Brewer, Alexa Avilés
Council Member Sponsors: 7
Summary: This bill would reopen the lookback window to the Gender-Motivated Violence Act (GMVA), commencing on March 1, 2026 and closing on March 1, 2027, thereby extending the statute of limitations and giving survivors of gender-motivated acts of violence more time to pursue civil actions. In addition to allowing for claim revival under the existing GMVA, the bill addresses retroactivity during the lookback window, as claims may be brought against any individual or entity for acts committed before the GMVA’s substantive amendment in 2022, including before the passage of the GMVA in 2000.
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 1297, 2. Int. No. 1297, 3. May 28, 2025 - Stated Meeting Agenda, 4. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 5-28-25

Int. No. 1297

 

By Council Members Brooks-Powers, Louis, Hanif, Banks, Restler, Brewer and Avilés

 

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to reopening the lookback window to the victims of gender-motivated violence protection law

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1. Subdivision a of section 10-1105 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as amended by local law number 21 for the year 2022, is amended to read as follows:

a. A civil action under this chapter shall be commenced within seven years after the alleged crime of violence motivated by gender occurred. If, however, due to injury or disability resulting from an act or acts giving rise to a cause of action under this chapter, or due to infancy as defined in the civil procedure law and rules, a person entitled to commence an action under this chapter is unable to do so at the time such cause of action accrues, then the time within which the action must be commenced shall be extended to nine years after the inability to commence the action ceases. Notwithstanding any provision of law that imposes a period of limitation to the contrary, any civil claim or cause of action [brought] under this chapter that is barred because the applicable period of limitation has expired is hereby revived; and any claim or cause of action under this chapter, regardless of whether such claim or cause of action is against an individual or any other party, that would have accrued after December 19, 2000 and before January 9, 2022, and any claim or cause of action under this chapter, regardless of whether such claim or cause of action is against an individual or any other party, that would have accrued on or before December 19, 2000, is hereby actionable. Such revived and actionable claims or causes of action may be commenced not earlier than six months after, and not later than [two years] one year and six months after, September 1, [2022] 2025, provided that any such claim or cause of action that was brought on or after March 1, 2023 but on or before March 1, 2025 and that was pending on or before the effective date of the local law that added this sentence need not be recommenced in court.

§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.

 

JMF

LS #18564

05/15/2025 4:51 PM