New York Sexual Assault Lawyer

We represent survivors of sexual assault, abuse, workplace misconduct, and civil rights violations across New York City and throughout the state. Survivors deserve to be heard, treated with dignity, and allowed to pursue accountability on their own terms.

Our firm was founded by Gloria Allred, one of the nation’s most recognized civil rights attorneys, and we have spent decades advocating for survivors confronting powerful individuals and institutions. Gloria Allred is admitted to practice in New York and has built a national reputation for representing survivors in high-profile sexual assault, sexual harassment, discrimination, and abuse cases.

Sexual assault can cause physical injuries, emotional trauma, lost income, medical expenses, damage to personal relationships, and lasting disruption to your education or career. A civil claim cannot undo the harm, but it may provide compensation, expose dangerous conduct, and hold responsible parties accountable.

Call Allred, Maroko & Goldberg in New York City on 646-992-2184 today to schedule a free, confidential consultation.

How We Help Sexual Assault Survivors in New York

You may be expected to navigate a complicated legal system while still processing what happened. An employer, school, hospital, business, insurer, or opposing attorney may already have contacted you, looking for information or working to limit the institution’s responsibility.

We take that weight off you and carry the legal process ourselves. Depending on the circumstances, we will:

• Listen to your account in a private, respectful setting
• Explain potential civil claims and filing deadlines
• Identify perpetrators and other potentially responsible parties
• Preserve surveillance footage, electronic messages, access records, and physical evidence
• Investigate earlier complaints involving the perpetrator
• Interview witnesses
• Review institutional policies and internal investigations
• Examine negligent hiring, supervision, retention, or security
• Calculate financial and nonfinancial damages
• Communicate with institutions, insurers, and opposing attorneys
• Negotiate for a confidential or public resolution
• File a civil lawsuit when appropriate
• Prepare the case for trial

You stay in control of the decisions that matter. We explain each step before it happens and we do not spring surprises on our clients. Call Allred, Maroko & Goldberg today to speak with an experienced legal advocate.

A Civil Claim Is Separate From a Criminal Prosecution

A criminal prosecution and a civil lawsuit serve different purposes.

In a criminal case, a government prosecutor brings charges against the accused. The potential consequences can include imprisonment, probation, registration requirements, or other criminal penalties. You are an important witness, but you do not control whether charges are filed or how the prosecution proceeds.

In a civil case, you bring the claim, seeking compensation and other available relief. A civil lawsuit may be filed against the perpetrator and, when supported by the facts, an employer, school, property owner, healthcare facility, religious organization, business, or another institution whose conduct contributed to the harm.

New York State law does not always require a criminal prosecution or conviction before you can bring a civil claim. CPLR Section 213-c expressly states that a criminal charge or conviction is not a condition for bringing certain civil sexual-offense claims.

A decision by police or prosecutors not to bring charges does not necessarily mean you have no civil case. The two systems have different procedures, burdens, and legal objectives.

Who Can Be Held Responsible for a Sexual Assault in New York?

The person who committed the assault may be held directly responsible. In some cases, additional individuals or organizations are also liable because their conduct enabled the assault or failed to protect you.

Potential defendants can include:

• Employers
• Supervisors
• Schools and universities
• Healthcare institutions
• Residential facilities
• Hotels
• Bars, clubs, and entertainment venues
• Property owners
• Religious organizations
• Youth organizations
• Transportation companies
• Security contractors
• Professional licensing organizations
• Other businesses or institutions

Institutional liability is fact-specific. The mere fact that an assault occurred at a business or workplace does not automatically make the organization liable.

An institution may bear responsibility when evidence shows negligent hiring, inadequate supervision, negligent retention, unsafe premises, failure to respond to earlier complaints, or another wrongful act that contributed to the assault.

How Institutions Enable Assault Through Negligence

Institutional negligence may involve:

• Hiring someone without an appropriate background review
• Ignoring prior complaints of harassment or assault
• Failing to investigate warning signs
• Allowing a known danger to remain in a position of authority
• Providing inadequate supervision
• Failing to enforce safety policies
• Permitting unauthorized access to private areas
• Maintaining defective locks or security systems
• Failing to preserve or review surveillance footage
• Retaliating against someone who reports misconduct
• Discouraging survivors or witnesses from contacting authorities
• Transferring an alleged perpetrator without addressing the danger

For example, an employer may learn that a supervisor has repeatedly targeted employees with unwanted sexual conduct but respond only with an informal warning. If the supervisor later commits an assault, the employer’s knowledge and response may become important evidence.

Similarly, a school or residential facility may receive complaints about an employee’s boundary violations but fail to conduct a meaningful investigation. These records can help establish what the institution knew and when it knew it.

Sexual Assault in the Workplace

Workplace sexual assault can create overlapping civil, employment, and workers’ compensation issues. You may have claims against the perpetrator, the employer, or other responsible parties.

Relevant employment claims may involve:

• Sexual harassment
• Hostile work environment
• Sex or gender discrimination
• Retaliation
• Wrongful termination
• Failure to investigate
• Negligent hiring or supervision
• Failure to take corrective action

An employer may not lawfully retaliate against an employee for reporting sexual harassment or discrimination. Retaliation can include termination, demotion, reduced hours, undesirable assignments, threats, exclusion, or unjustified negative reviews.

Preserve workplace messages, reports to human resources, schedules, performance records, and any response from management. Get legal advice before you sign a severance agreement, a confidentiality provision, or a release of claims.

If you’ve experienced sexual assault, harassment, or retaliation, we’re here to help. Contact us at 646-992-2184 today.

What Evidence Supports a New York Sexual Assault Claim?

Your testimony is evidence. A claim does not fail simply because there is no video, no eyewitness, no police report, and no immediate medical examination.

Other evidence may include:

• Text messages, emails, and social media communications
• Messages sent before or after the assault
• Photographs
• Medical records
• Therapy or counseling records
• Police reports
• Emergency call records
• Surveillance footage
• Hotel, building, or workplace access records
• Rideshare or transportation records
• Location data
• Receipts and financial records
• Clothing or other physical evidence
• Statements made to friends, relatives, coworkers, or healthcare providers
• Workplace or school complaints
• Prior complaints involving the perpetrator
• Internal investigation records
• A private chronology you prepared
• Evidence of lost wages or educational disruption

Trauma can affect how a person remembers and describes an event. A delayed report or incomplete initial account does not necessarily mean the assault did not happen.

Preserve original communications without editing them. Screenshots help, but keeping the original device and the complete conversation preserves metadata and context that a screenshot loses.

Steps to Take After a Sexual Assault

Your immediate safety and health come first. There is no single correct response to sexual assault, and no one should be blamed for the choices they make while in shock.

Depending on the circumstances, steps may include:

• Move to a safe location
• Seek appropriate medical care
• Consider a forensic examination
• Preserve clothing, communications, photographs, and other evidence
• Write down what happened when emotionally able
• Save the names of potential witnesses
• Avoid deleting messages from the perpetrator
• Keep records of medical expenses and missed work
• Review workplace or school reporting options
• Speak with a lawyer about your civil deadlines
• Avoid signing releases or settlement agreements without understanding them

Reporting to law enforcement is your decision. We can explain how a police report may affect the available evidence, but whether to pursue criminal charges is entirely yours to choose.

If you reported months or years later, do not assume you waited too long. New York has special limitation periods for certain sexual-offense claims, and New York City has enacted additional remedies for some gender-motivated violence claims.

How Long Do You Have to File a New York Sexual Assault Lawsuit?

New York’s CPLR Section 213-c provides a 20-year filing period for civil claims arising from conduct constituting certain specified sexual offenses. Other claims may have substantially shorter deadlines. The New York Courts statute-of-limitations guide warns that limitation periods vary by case type.

Civil filing deadlines in New York can be complicated. The deadline may depend on:

• Your age when the assault occurred
• The conduct involved
• When the assault happened
• Whether the claim is against the perpetrator or another party
• Whether the defendant is a public entity
• Whether the assault occurred in New York City
• Which state or city law creates the claim
• Whether a tolling or revival provision applies

Claims involving a government defendant can carry especially short notice requirements. Do not assume the longer sexual-offense period applies to every potential defendant or every legal theory.

Prompt legal advice matters even when the assault happened years ago. We can tell you which laws and deadlines apply to your situation, and we do that at no cost. Call Allred, Maroko & Goldberg today to speak with an experienced legal advocate.

Additional Rights Under New York City Law

New York City’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law may provide a civil cause of action for certain crimes of violence motivated by gender. Potential remedies can include compensatory damages, punitive damages, injunctive relief, declaratory relief, and attorney’s fees.

New York City enacted Local Law 50 of 2026, creating a new 18-month revival period for qualifying claims involving gender-motivated violence that occurred before January 9, 2022. The law also addresses certain cases previously filed during the city’s earlier revival period.

These provisions are highly time-sensitive and do not apply automatically to every sexual assault. If your claim involves conduct in New York City, have it evaluated promptly.

Assaults That Happened Years Ago

Many survivors do not disclose sexual assault immediately. Fear, shame, threats, financial dependence, institutional pressure, trauma, or concern about not being believed can delay reporting.

A delay does not erase what happened. New York has extended filing periods for certain sexual-offense claims, and special revival laws may apply in particular circumstances.

Even when one legal theory is time-barred, another claim or another defendant may fall under a different deadline. We would need to evaluate:

• Your age at the time
• The date and location of the assault
• Your relationship to the perpetrator
• The type of sexual offense involved
• The institution’s role
• When the institution learned of the danger
• Whether fraud, concealment, or another tolling issue is present
• Whether New York City law applies

Do not rely on a general online deadline calculator. Sexual assault claims turn on facts that only a lawyer reviewing your situation can weigh.

What Damages May Be Available in a New York Sexual Assault Case?

You may be able to seek compensation for physical, psychological, and financial harm. Potential damages may include:

• Medical expenses
• Future medical care
• Therapy and counseling expenses
• Lost wages
• Reduced earning capacity
• Educational disruption
• Relocation or security expenses
• Physical pain
• Emotional distress
• Post-traumatic stress
• Anxiety or depression
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Damage to personal relationships
• Punitive damages when legally available
• Other appropriate relief

A civil case may also seek institutional policy changes or injunctive relief when permitted by law. The relief available depends on the legal claims, defendants, and supporting evidence.

No attorney can guarantee a particular outcome, and the value of a case requires an individualized analysis. A thorough investigation documents the full impact of the assault and identifies the damages worth pursuing.

How a Civil Sexual Assault Case Proceeds

A case may proceed through the following stages:

1. Free, confidential consultation: you explain what happened and tell us what matters most to you.
2. Deadline analysis: we identify the statutes of limitations, revival laws, and notice requirements that may apply.
3. Investigation: Evidence, witnesses, prior complaints, policies, and institutional records are examined.
4. Identification of defendants: we evaluate responsibility beyond the individual perpetrator.
5. Demand or pre-suit negotiations: The parties may explore a resolution before litigation.
6. Filing the lawsuit: A complaint is filed in the appropriate court and served on the defendants.
7. Discovery: The parties exchange records, answer written questions, and take depositions.
8. Mediation or settlement discussions: A neutral mediator may help the parties seek a voluntary resolution.
9. Trial: If the case is not resolved, the evidence may be presented to a judge or jury.

Civil sexual assault cases in New York may be filed in the New York Supreme Court, which is the state’s primary trial-level court for major civil cases. Venue depends on the parties, location of the conduct, and applicable procedural rules.

A settlement can offer greater privacy and control. A trial can offer public accountability when defendants refuse to accept responsibility. We walk you through the risks and benefits of both before you decide.

Protecting Your Privacy During a Sexual Assault Case

Court filings are generally public unless a law or court order provides otherwise. You may still have options to protect sensitive information, including permission to proceed under a pseudonym and protective orders covering confidential records.

Whether a court grants anonymity depends on the circumstances and governing law. Confidential settlements may also be possible, although confidentiality terms should be carefully reviewed.

We explain your privacy options before anything is filed, so you decide with the full picture in front of you.

Why Choose Allred, Maroko & Goldberg?

We were founded five decades ago by Gloria Allred, Michael Maroko, and Nathan Goldberg. Our attorneys have spent their careers representing survivors, employees, and civil rights victims against defendants with substantial power and resources.

 We have recovered more than $1 billion for clients across our practice areas, and we are recognized nationally for our advocacy on behalf of survivors and victims. Past outcomes do not guarantee future results.

Gloria Allred is admitted to the Supreme Court of New York and has been recognized nationally for her advocacy on behalf of women, minorities, and survivors. Our New York office is at 111 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, and we take on sensitive, high-stakes matters.

Sexual assault cases demand legal knowledge, discretion, preparation, and compassion. We approach each survivor’s experience with seriousness and respect.

Allred, Maroko & Goldberg Is Ready to Help, Talk to Us

Sexual assault can leave you feeling powerless, isolated, and unsure whom to trust. Pursuing a civil claim is your decision alone, but you deserve accurate information about your rights before a deadline closes the door on them.

We investigate perpetrators and institutions, preserve evidence, and pursue accountability through negotiation or litigation. These cases require both determined advocacy and compassionate client care, and we treat them that way.

Call Allred, Maroko & Goldberg in New York City today on 646-992-2184 to schedule a free, confidential consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions About New York Sexual Assault Claims

Do I need a criminal conviction to file a civil lawsuit?

No. New York law expressly provides that a criminal charge or conviction is not a precondition for bringing certain civil sexual-offense claims. The two systems run separately and apply different standards: a prosecutor must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, while a civil case turns on the balance of the evidence. A decision by police or prosecutors not to pursue charges therefore says very little about whether you have a viable civil claim, and many of the cases we handle proceed without any criminal case at all.

Can I sue an institution as well as the perpetrator?

Potentially, and this is often where the real accountability lies. An employer, school, healthcare facility, property owner, religious organisation, or other institution may be liable where its own conduct contributed to the assault, through negligent hiring, inadequate supervision, ignoring earlier complaints, unsafe premises, or keeping someone in a position of authority after warning signs appeared. Institutional claims also tend to reach insurance coverage that an individual defendant does not have, which can make a substantial difference to what is actually recoverable.

Can I bring a claim if I did not report the assault immediately?

Possibly. Delayed reporting is common and well understood, and it does not by itself defeat a claim. New York provides a twenty-year filing period for civil claims arising from certain specified sexual offenses, and New York City has enacted additional revival provisions for qualifying gender-motivated violence claims. What matters is which law creates your claim, who the defendant is, and whether any tolling or revival provision applies, which is a fact-specific analysis rather than something a general deadline chart can answer.

What if I knew the person who assaulted me?

Sexual assault is not limited to attacks by strangers, and most assaults are not. The perpetrator may be a spouse, dating partner, coworker, supervisor, teacher, healthcare provider, family member, acquaintance, or anyone else in a position of trust. A prior or ongoing relationship does not imply consent to any particular act, and it does not weaken your claim. In institutional cases the relationship often strengthens it, because the access that made the assault possible was frequently created by the institution itself.

What if alcohol or drugs were involved?

A person who is incapable of consent cannot give it, and intoxication does not shift responsibility onto you. The relevant questions are whether you had the capacity to consent, whether substances were given to you without your knowledge, and whether incapacity was exploited deliberately. Survivors often hesitate to come forward in these circumstances because they anticipate being blamed. That expectation is understandable and it is not a reason to assume you have no claim.

Can my employer retaliate against me for reporting a workplace assault?

No. Employers generally may not retaliate against you for reporting sexual harassment, assault, discrimination, or related unlawful conduct. Retaliation can take the form of termination, demotion, reduced hours, undesirable assignments, exclusion, or unjustified negative reviews, and it creates separate employment claims that stand alongside the assault claim itself. Preserve any change in how you are treated after reporting, because the sequence is what makes retaliation provable.

How much is a sexual assault case worth?

There is no universal figure, and any lawyer offering one at the outset is guessing. What you may recover depends on the severity of the harm, the medical and psychological effects, lost income and disrupted education or career, the evidence available, which parties are responsible, and the remedies the applicable statutes allow. Institutional defendants and available insurance coverage often affect the outcome more than any other single factor. A proper investigation is what establishes the real scope of the harm.

Will I have to testify?

You may need to testify if the case proceeds through discovery or trial, though many cases resolve before that point through negotiation or mediation. Where testimony is required, we prepare you thoroughly for each stage rather than leaving you to face it unprepared. There are also protections available in appropriate cases, including applications to proceed under a pseudonym and protective orders limiting the disclosure of sensitive records, and we raise those before a case is filed rather than afterwards.