Your Rights Under NYC's Gender Motivated Violence Protection Law
New York City's Gender Motivated Violence Protection Law (Admin. Code § 10-1101 and following) lets survivors of gender-motivated violence, including sexual abuse and sexual assault, bring a civil lawsuit against the person responsible and, in many cases, the institution connected to the abuse. Our NYC gender-motivated violence lawyers offer a free, confidential review of whether it applies to you.
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What Changed Under NYC Law
The NYC Council has enacted landmark changes protecting survivors
Civil Cause of Action
Creates a civil cause of action for gender-motivated violence, including sexual abuse.
Expanded Liability
Allows suits against those who commit, direct, enable, participate in, or conspire in the violence.
Older Claims May Be Revived
The changes are aimed at reviving previously time-barred claims, so older abuse may still be actionable. Deadlines are case-specific — whether a claim is timely depends on the facts of that case and requires review with an attorney.
Institutional Accountability
Institutions may be held liable when their employees or agents committed abuse while acting in their roles.
What is the Gender Motivated Violence Protection Law?
The NYC Gender Motivated Violence Protection Law (NYC Administrative Code § 10-1101 and following) creates a civil cause of action for survivors of gender-motivated violence, including sexual abuse and assault. It lets survivors bring claims not only against the individuals responsible, but against the institutions connected to the abuse — the entities that employed, directed, or failed to control them.
New York City law on these claims has recently changed, and many survivors who were previously told it was "too late" may now be able to file — including for abuse that happened years or decades ago (Int. 1297-A / Local Law 2026/050). Whether a particular claim can proceed depends on the facts of that case.
Who Can Bring a Claim?
The law applies to survivors of gender-motivated violence, which includes:
- Sexual abuse or assault at NYC institutions (including but not limited to schools, hospitals, detention centers, foster care, and many others)
- Abuse by employees, contractors, or agents acting within their institutional role
- Cases where institutions enabled or failed to prevent the abuse
- Older abuse that was previously time-barred, where the recent changes in the law allow the claim to proceed
Deadlines are case-specific
Whether a claim is timely depends on the facts of that case — when the abuse happened, how old you were, and which law applies — and requires review with an attorney. The law can change, so reviewing sooner protects your options. A free, confidential review will tell you honestly where you stand.
Official Sources
For more information about the law, please refer to these official sources:
To see how this law applies across specific settings — jails, schools, hospitals, foster care, and youth programs — read our overview of sexual abuse claims at New York City institutions.
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