(The Center Square) — The New York City Council is planning to override outgoing Mayor Eric Adams’ objections to a bill that would have granted sexual abuse victims an 18-month window to sue alleged perpetrators.
The legislation, approved by the Council in November, carved out an 18-month “lookback” window for victims to file claims against abusers as well as institutions that may have shielded perpetrators from prosecution, even if the statute of limitations has lapsed. It would also allow plaintiffs to revive hundreds of cases that had been previously dismissed, including claims against the estate of now-deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
But Adams vetoed the measure on Christmas Eve, saying the proposed changes would have exposed the city to costly litigation estimated at more than $1 billion, which would force the next mayor to cut services and programs.
“My administration attempted to work with the City Council to secure compensation for survivors in a fiscally responsible manner, but the City Council did not engage on any alternative proposals,” Adams, a Democrat who leaves office on Jan. 1, wrote in his veto message.
But incoming Council President Julie Menin pushed back on Adam’s claims in a statement that said his administration didn’t previously raise concerns about the cost of the legislation and accused the mayor of using his final days in office “to deny survivors of sexual and gender-motivated violence the opportunity to hold their abusers accountable.”
Menin said the council will override the outgoing mayor’s veto once it convenes for a new session in January.
“The mayor’s veto message suddenly mentions a price tag to the city that was simply never raised in their testimony at the hearing,” she said in a statement. “However, we clearly heard directly from survivors of sexual and gender-motivated violence, including horrific accounts from survivors of Jeffrey Epstein.”
In 2022, the Council approved a bill allowing survivors to sue under the Gender-Motivated Violence Act, regardless of the statute of limitations. But a state Superior Court judge tossed out hundreds of sexual abuse cases earlier this year after ruling that the legislation was too vague to be enforced. The dismissed lawsuits included those filed by people abused in city-run institutions, including 450 cases at juvenile detention facilities.
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Councilors responded to the ruling by approving a new version of the law that created a new 18 month “lookback” window and authorized plaintiffs to sue individuals and institutions — including the city — for incidents that occurred before the 2022 law.
Under the city’s charter, the Council can override a mayor’s veto with a two-thirds majority vote. The bill passed with a veto-proof margin, with 48 of the council’s 51 members supporting it.