Sex Assault Archives | Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman LLP

Statute of Limitations for Sexual Assault in Hawai’i and California

Posted on October 2, 2025October 7, 2025 by Candice Paddock

Does rape have a statute of limitations? The answer to that question depends on a few factors, not the least of which is state law. The question of how long a person has to report sexual assault is also critical for survivors seeking justice.

The laws governing the time period (statute of limitations) vary widely across states due to differing legislative priorities, societal views on trauma, and evolving understandings of how trauma affects survivors of childhood and adult sexual assault. In states like California and Hawai’i, recent legal changes have expanded options for survivors.

Why Statutes of Limitations Vary

The statute of limitations for sexual assault differs by state based on factors like:

the severity of the crime
the victim’s age
evidence availability

For instance, serious felonies like rape often have longer or no time limits compared to lesser offenses, as states prioritize justice for severe crimes. Some states extend deadlines for cases involving minors, recognizing that trauma may delay disclosure.

Advocacy has also driven reforms, with states like California and Hawai’i revising laws to accommodate survivors’ needs. Additionally, advancements in DNA evidence have prompted some states to extend or eliminate time limits when new evidence emerges, impacting the rape statute of limitations.

Hawai’i Bill Empowers Sex Trafficking Victims to Seek Justice

Posted on August 19, 2025August 28, 2025 by Candice Paddock

A bill awaiting Hawaii Gov. Josh Green’s signature could give sex trafficking survivors new power to seek justice—not just against their traffickers, but also against the individuals and businesses that profit from their exploitation.

House Bill 111, which was approved by both the Hawaii House and Senate earlier this year, addresses critical gaps in how the state handles sex trafficking. If signed into law, the bill would:

Allow sex trafficking victims to file civil lawsuits against people, businesses, or institutions that financially benefit from sex trafficking or sexual exploitation.
Extend the statute of limitations for civil claims related to sex trafficking from two years to ten.

According to advocates, this legislation could be a turning point for victim empowerment in Hawai’i, where sex trafficking remains one of the most underreported crimes.

Incarcerated Youths Victimized by Sexual Predators, Unsafe Environments

Posted on April 23, 2025August 18, 2025 by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

Victims of sexual abuse at juvenile detention centers are increasingly sounding the alarm, exposing lax management and security practices that have placed vulnerable young people in danger.

Lawsuits in states including Oregon, Illinois, Washington, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Hampshire, California and New York detail sexual abuse in state- and county-run juvenile detention centers that include allegations of rape, forced oral sex and beatings by corrections officers, nurses, kitchen staff, chaplains and others.

In Illinois, 667 people have alleged they were sexually abused as children at youth facilities in Illinois through lawsuits filed since May. The most recent Illinois complaints detail alleged abuse from 1996 to 2021 from the accounts of 272 people who were in state-run youth juvenile detention facilities and a county-run Chicago center.

Troubled Teen Facilities: A Breeding Ground for Abuse?

Posted on April 10, 2025August 18, 2025 by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

Treating troubled teens has become a growth industry even as reports of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of young offenders participating in these programs have become more widespread.

A Troubled History

Many trace the beginnings of the troubled teen industry to a 1950s organization called Synanon, which was a drug rehabilitation program that involved no doctors. One of the methods included a game that used verbal abuse to help drug addicts take responsibility for their part in their addiction. Over time, the game also began to involve physical abuse.

Other groups began to take on this “tough love” approach to helping at-risk teens. These approaches were explored on TV talk shows and even in a 1985 TV movie called Toughlove.

Lax Safety by Uber, Lyft Puts Rideshare Passengers at Risk

Posted on March 25, 2025August 18, 2025 by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

In Hawai’i and across the U.S., Uber and Lyft are facing a growing outcry for their failures to protect passengers from driver harassment and sexual assault.

Rideshare companies are being hit with lawsuits from passengers raising serious concerns about their safety precautions and driver screening processes. Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman filed the first such lawsuit in Hawai’i.

“Rideshare companies have failed to take even the most fundamental steps to protect passengers. The reason is simple: these companies are placing profit over passenger safety,” said firm co-founder Ilana Waxman.

According to the lawsuits, the companies have neglected to conduct thorough background checks on drivers and ignored previous complaints of driver misconduct. Many victims alleging sexual assault also claim that the rideshare companies failed to implement sufficient safety measures to ensure that passengers are protected.

Female Inmates Use Legal System to Fight Prison Sex Abuse

Posted on November 6, 2024August 18, 2025 by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

Female inmates in Hawai’i and in facilities across the U.S. are demanding accountability for a pattern of sexual abuse by guards and staff. More than 5,000 claims of sexual assault and abuse by guards have been reported since 2012, including a series of assaults at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua.

Hawaiʻi prison officials have pledged to improve security for women inmates at the facility as part of a $2 million settlement on behalf of six women who were sexually assaulted by guards.

“This settlement recognizes that these women were victims while in the State’s custody and that they should receive a measure of justice for the harm the ACOs caused them,” said Attorney General Anne Lopez.

Report Details ‘Staggering Pervasiveness’ of Sex Abuse Within Catholic Diocese

Posted on September 17, 2024August 18, 2025 by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

More than 150 priests, deacons, teachers and seminarians within the Archdiocese of Baltimore have been accused of sexually abusing more than 600 children and young adults over an eight-decade period.

An explosive report by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office details pervasive sexual abuse within the country’s oldest Roman Catholic diocese. In some cases, parishes, schools and congregations had more than one alleged abuser at work. One, St. Mark’s Parish in Catonsville, had 11 alleged abusers living and working there between 1964 and 2004. One deacon admitted to molesting more than 100 children.