Arkansas at a glance
Rules, not your dateChild sexual abuse: the civil deadline
No deadline for a claim based on a listed sexual abuse offense committed against a minor (or a person with a disability). A 2025 Court of Appeals decision held this does not revive claims that had already expired; the Arkansas Supreme Court is reviewing that ruling. The rule is in Ark. Code Ann. § 16-118-118(b)(1) (Act 1036 of 2021, as amended by Acts 177 and 616 of 2023 and Act 662 of 2025).
That is the deadline for a civil lawsuit, a claim for money damages. A criminal prosecution runs on a separate clock set by the state’s criminal code, and a report to police can be made whether or not a civil claim is still open. How the two differ.
Adult sexual assault: the civil deadline
1 year for assault and battery claims. Where a claim can also be brought as outrage or negligence, for example against an employer, courts apply the longer 3-year period. The rule is in Ark. Code Ann. §§ 16-56-104, 16-56-105; McQuay v. Guntharp, 331 Ark. 466 (1998).
Revival and lookback windows
Arkansas opened a window that revived expired sexual abuse claims. It ran from February 1, 2024 to February 1, 2026. It is closed now. The law was Ark. Code Ann. § 16-118-118(b)(2), as amended by Act 616 of 2023; first window under Act 1036 of 2021 ran 2022-01-28 to 2024-01-28; H.C. v. Nesmith pending in Ark. Sup. Ct..
A revival window, sometimes called a lookback window, lets survivors file claims that had already expired, for a set period. Closed windows stay listed here with their dates, because a claim filed while one was open may still be moving through the courts. Every state’s window, side by side.
Claims against public entities
Counties, cities, school districts and other political subdivisions are immune from suit for damages except to the extent covered by liability insurance. No notice-of-claim period appears in that statute. Claims against the State itself are heard by the Arkansas State Claims Commission, not under this statute. See Ark. Code Ann. §§ 21-9-301 (as amended by Act 627 of 2021), 19-10-204.
A claim against a public body often needs a written notice filed with that body first, and the notice period can be far shorter than the deadline for the lawsuit itself.
Active lawsuits and institutions in Arkansas
- Roblox litigation: Attorney general suit against Roblox and Discord, June 2026
- Discord litigation: Attorney general suit against Discord
The deadlines described here are general rules, and most of them have exceptions. The date that governs a particular claim turns on the state, the person’s age when the abuse happened, when they connected it to the harm it caused, and who the defendant is. A claim against a public agency or a public school can carry a written notice requirement that runs out long before the ordinary deadline.
Nothing on this page can tell you your own date. A lawyer who looks at your facts can, and there is no charge to ask.
- Ark. Code Ann. § 16-118-118(b)(1) (Act 1036 of 2021, as amended by Acts 177 and 616 of 2023 and Act 662 of 2025) (childhood claims). Accurate as of October 7, 2026.
- Ark. Code Ann. §§ 16-56-104, 16-56-105; McQuay v. Guntharp, 331 Ark. 466 (1998) (adult claims). Accurate as of October 7, 2026.
- Ark. Code Ann. § 16-118-118(b)(2), as amended by Act 616 of 2023; first window under Act 1036 of 2021 ran 2022-01-28 to 2024-01-28; H.C. v. Nesmith pending in Ark. Sup. Ct. (revival window). Accurate as of October 7, 2026.
- Ark. Code Ann. §§ 21-9-301 (as amended by Act 627 of 2021), 19-10-204 (notice to public entities). Accurate as of October 7, 2026.
- CHILD USA, statute of limitations research (used as a cross-check, not as the source of any rule above).
