North Carolina Sexual Abuse Settlement Calculator
Understand North Carolina's childhood sexual abuse deadline (age 28), the closed SAFE Child Act lookback window, and the conviction-triggered revival path under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-17(e)
How long do you have to file a sexual abuse claim in North Carolina? If you were abused as a child, North Carolina law lets you sue until you turn 28 (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-17(d)). A one-time lookback window that revived older, already-expired childhood claims closed on December 31, 2021. If your claim is still time-barred, one narrow path remains: filing within two years of a criminal conviction of the defendant for a related felony sexual offense, under § 1-17(e). Adult sexual assault is treated as an assault/battery claim, generally subject to North Carolina's 3-year personal-injury deadline.
The SAFE Child Act's lookback window for previously time-barred childhood claims ran from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021 and is now closed. A separate, conviction-triggered path under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-17(e) has no closing date, but it only opens if the defendant is criminally convicted of a related felony sexual offense.
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Estimated Settlement Range
$176,400 — $327,600
Abuse settlements vary widely by jurisdiction, institutional resources, and the documented impact. This is a benchmark range based on reported cases.
Editorially Reviewed — Content reviewed for accuracy using published legal research, government data, and verified court records. See our methodology
Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor
North Carolina's SAFE Child Act: What Changed, and What's Still Available
North Carolina's SAFE Child Act (S.L. 2019-245, signed November 7, 2019) reshaped the civil deadline for childhood sexual abuse claims in two separate ways. First, it set an ordinary, forward-looking cutoff: a plaintiff may sue for abuse suffered while under 18 until reaching age 28, under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-17(d). Second, and separately, the Act opened a one-time calendar window — from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021 — that revived childhood sexual abuse claims that had already become time-barred under North Carolina's prior law. That lookback window has closed; it accepted filings only through the end of 2021 and cannot be used today.
The Act also added a third, permanent provision that is easy to confuse with the closed lookback window but works very differently: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-17(e) lets a plaintiff file a civil action for childhood sexual abuse within two years of the date the defendant is criminally convicted of a related felony sexual offense, regardless of whether the ordinary age-28 deadline has already passed. This path has no expiration date of its own, but it is not available to everyone — it only opens once there has been, or later is, a qualifying criminal conviction of the person you are trying to sue. If no such conviction exists, this provision does not currently give you a way to file.
If you were assaulted as an adult (18 or older at the time), North Carolina does not have a sexual-assault-specific deadline. These claims are pursued as assault and battery, and are generally governed by the state's 3-year personal-injury period under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52(19). Because these deadlines and exceptions depend heavily on your specific facts — your age at the time of the abuse, whether any criminal case has been filed against the person who harmed you, and when that case might conclude — an attorney licensed in North Carolina is the only reliable way to find out which rule applies to your situation.
North Carolina's Childhood Sexual Abuse Revival Provisions
North Carolina has one closed calendar window and one still-standing, but conditional, revival path. They are easy to confuse, so it helps to separate them clearly:
SAFE Child Act lookback window
CLOSEDS.L. 2019-245, § 4.2(b)
Revived any civil childhood-sexual-abuse action that was time-barred under G.S. 1-52 as it stood before the Act — but only for actions filed during the window itself.
Cases filed during the window remain in litigation; the filing period itself is over.
Conviction-triggered revival (permanent)
OPENN.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-17(e)
A survivor may file within two years of the date of a defendant's criminal conviction for a related felony sexual offense, even if the ordinary deadline under § 1-17(d) (age 28) has already passed. There is no calendar end date — but it opens only where such a conviction exists or later occurs, so it is not available to every survivor.
⚠ No deadline to close — but requires a qualifying criminal conviction
Conditional, not general. Do not present it as a successor to the 2020–2021 lookback window.
North Carolina Statute of Limitations for Sexual Abuse
Childhood sexual abuse (under 18 at the time): A plaintiff may file a civil action against a defendant for sexual abuse suffered while under 18 years of age until reaching age 28, under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-17(d). Separately, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-17(e) allows filing within two years of the date of a criminal conviction of the defendant for a related felony sexual offense, regardless of the age-28 cap — but only once such a conviction exists. Both provisions were enacted by the SAFE Child Act (S.L. 2019-245, signed November 7, 2019); no subsequent amendment has been identified.
Adult sexual assault (18 or older at the time): North Carolina has no sexual-assault-specific statute of limitations for adults. These claims are pursued as an assault and battery tort and are governed by the state's general personal-injury deadline of 3 years, under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52(19), which covers "assault, battery, or false imprisonment, except as provided by G.S. 1-17(d) and (e)." The statute section itself is headed "Three years," and every claim listed under it — including assault and battery — is subject to that 3-year period.
Damages and Attorney Fees in North Carolina Sexual Abuse Cases
North Carolina has not permanently abolished the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims: § 1-17(d) sets a fixed, prospective cutoff at age 28, and the SAFE Child Act's blanket revival of already-expired claims was itself time-limited and expired on December 31, 2021. On attorney fees, North Carolina does not set a statutory cap on contingency fees in civil sexual abuse cases. Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5(a) instead prohibits fees that are "clearly excessive" — a lower bar than an outright percentage limit — and Rule 1.5(c) requires that the fee agreement be in writing and signed by the client, with any costs you would owe if the case is unsuccessful disclosed up front.
North Carolina Sexual Abuse Settlements
No publicly documented, verified North Carolina sexual abuse settlement amounts are included on this page. Settlement values in sexual abuse cases vary enormously by the facts of each case — including institutional involvement, evidence of a cover-up, and whether a criminal conviction exists — and unverified figures circulating online should not be relied on. An attorney who has reviewed your specific facts is the only reliable source for what your claim may be worth.
Institutional Liability: Why the Real Money Is There
Individual abusers often have limited assets. Institutional defendants (churches, schools, organizations) have deep pockets AND legal liability for enabling abuse. Understanding institutional liability theories explains the massive recoveries.
Negligent hiring
Negligent hiring: Institution hired an abuser despite red flags (prior complaints, criminal history, industry warnings). Liable for inadequate background checks and ignoring references.
Negligent supervision
Negligent supervision: Institution failed to supervise the abuser appropriately given their role and contact with vulnerable populations. Applies to teachers, clergy, coaches, caregivers.
Negligent retention
Negligent retention: Institution kept the abuser on staff after learning of concerning behavior. This is the 'priest shuffle' theory — moving abusers between locations without action.
Respondeat superior
Respondeat superior: Employer is vicariously liable for employee acts committed in the course of employment. Narrower for intentional acts but still applies to many abuse scenarios.
Breach of fiduciary duty
Breach of fiduciary duty: Special relationships (clergy-parishioner, teacher-student, counselor-client) create heightened duties. Breach creates liability beyond negligence.
Fraudulent concealment
Fraudulent concealment: Institution actively hid the abuse from law enforcement, new victims, or parents. Often unlocks punitive damages and extends SOL (the clock starts from discovery of concealment).
North Carolina Sexual Abuse Settlement FAQs
I was abused as a child in North Carolina. How long do I have to file a civil claim?
Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-17(d), you may file a civil action against a defendant for sexual abuse suffered while you were under 18 until you reach age 28. This is the standard, ordinary deadline enacted by the SAFE Child Act (S.L. 2019-245) and it applies going forward — it does not depend on any calendar window or a criminal case against your abuser.
Can I still use the SAFE Child Act's 2020–2021 lookback window to revive an old claim?
No. That one-time window, created by S.L. 2019-245 § 4.2(b), revived civil childhood-sexual-abuse claims that were already time-barred under North Carolina's prior law, but only for claims filed between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021. That calendar window is closed and cannot be used for a new filing today.
The lookback window is closed and I'm over 28. Is there any other way to sue?
One narrow, permanent path remains under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-17(e): you may file a civil action for childhood sexual abuse within two years of the date the defendant is criminally convicted of a related felony sexual offense, even if the ordinary age-28 deadline has already passed. This provision has no closing date of its own, but it is not available to every survivor — it only opens once such a conviction exists, whether it happened already or happens later. If there has been no qualifying conviction, this path is not currently open to you.
I was sexually assaulted as an adult in North Carolina. What deadline applies?
North Carolina does not have an adult-specific sexual assault statute of limitations. These claims are pursued as an assault and battery tort under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52(19), which carries the state's general 3-year personal-injury deadline. That statute section is titled "Three years," and it explicitly notes that the age-28 childhood provisions in § 1-17(d) and (e) are a separate, distinct exception — they do not extend the adult deadline.
How much will a North Carolina sexual abuse attorney charge?
North Carolina has no statutory cap on contingency fees for sexual abuse civil cases. Instead, N.C. Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5(a) prohibits fees that are "clearly excessive" — a case-by-case ethical standard rather than a fixed percentage limit. Under Rule 1.5(c), the fee agreement must be in writing and signed by you, and any costs you could owe if the case does not succeed must be disclosed to you before you sign.
A Note on Legal Uncertainty
Legal situation is evolving. As of April 2026:
- adult_sol: § 1-52 is headed 'Three years' (all actions listed under it, including subsection 19, are subject to the 3-year period).
- childhood_sol: Enacted by SL 2019-245 (SAFE Child Act), signed Nov. 7, 2019; no subsequent amendment found.
- open_window: The original SAFE Child Act two-year lookback window (Jan. 1, 2020 - Dec. 31, 2021) is CLOSED. Do not confuse it with the still-active, but conditional, conviction-triggered revival channel under G.S. 1-17(e), which has no calendar end date but requires a qualifying criminal conviction to trigger.
- open_window: Einstufung als 'offenes Fenster' ist eine Auslegungsentscheidung: (e) ist kein klassisches kalendarisches Lookback-Fenster, sondern ein an eine Strafverurteilung geknüpfter, dauerhaft verfügbarer Wiederbelebungsmechanismus. Zur Prüfung an Redaktion empfohlen.
- contingency_cap: The standard is 'clearly excessive' rather than the ABA's 'unreasonable'. The client must sign the agreement; costs if you lose must be disclosed.
- contingency_cap: keine gesetzliche Grenze (nur Verbot 'clearly excessive', RPC 1.5(a))
This page is informational only. Consult a licensed attorney for case-specific advice.
Primary Sources
- www.ncbar.gov/for-lawyers/ethics/rules-of-professional-conduct/rule-15-fees
- www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/SessionLaws/HTML/2019-2020/SL2019-245.html
- www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_1/GS_1-17.html
- www.ncleg.gov/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter_1/gs_1-17.html
- www.ncleg.gov/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter_1/gs_1-52.html
Other State Sexual Abuse Calculators
California
3 revival windows (AB 218/2777/250)
New York
CVA + ASA + NYC GMVA (open Jul 2027)
New Jersey
Age-55 + 7-yr discovery rule
Maryland
No SOL for childhood + 2025 cap cut
All States — Main Calculator
Nationwide settlement ranges + institutional liability overview
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Other Calculators for North Carolina
Each North Carolina calculator reflects state-specific laws (caps, statutes of limitations, comparative-negligence rules) and uses North Carolina verdict data where available.
Sexual Abuse Settlement Calculators by State
Lookback windows and settlement ranges for survivors vary by state: