Louisiana at a glance
Rules, not your dateChild sexual abuse: the civil deadline
No deadline for claims against a person for sexual abuse of a minor. Plaintiffs 21 or older must first file certificates of merit. The rule is in La. R.S. 9:2800.9.
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
3 years from the injury, or from when police or a court identify the offender, whichever is later. Claims against others: 2 years for conduct after July 1, 2024, and 1 year for earlier conduct. The rule is in La. Civ. Code art. 3496.2; La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1; former La. Civ. Code art. 3492.
Revival and lookback windows
A window that revives expired sexual abuse claims is open in Louisiana. It opened on June 14, 2021 and is scheduled to close on June 14, 2027. The law is Acts 2021, No. 322, §2; Acts 2022, No. 386, §2, as amended by Acts 2024, No. 481 (SB 246), made effective June 14, 2024 by Acts 2024, No. 789, §3.
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
No pre-suit notice of claim found. After suing the state or a political subdivision, service must be requested within 90 days. See La. R.S. 13:5107(D)(1).
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 Louisiana
- Catholic diocese abuse claims: Diocesan Chapter 11 cases
- Roblox litigation: Attorney general suit against Roblox
- Juvenile facility sexual abuse lawsuits, state by state: Juvenile facility abuse cases in this state
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.
- La. R.S. 9:2800.9 (childhood claims). Accurate as of October 7, 2026.
- La. Civ. Code art. 3496.2; La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1; former La. Civ. Code art. 3492 (adult claims). Accurate as of October 7, 2026.
- Acts 2021, No. 322, §2; Acts 2022, No. 386, §2, as amended by Acts 2024, No. 481 (SB 246), made effective June 14, 2024 by Acts 2024, No. 789, §3 (revival window). Accurate as of October 7, 2026.
- La. R.S. 13:5107(D)(1) (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).
