New York City Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act

In this video, we are discussing a pivotal piece of legislation in New York City: the Gender Motivated Violence Protection Act.

This act recognizes and addresses violence rooted in gender bias, providing a crucial legal framework for victims seeking justice in civil court.

Also known as the GMVA or GMVPL, this act allows individuals who have been targeted and harmed due to their gender to file a civil lawsuit against the perpetrators and/or responsible institutions who may have contributed or allowed the harm to happen.

Timing is critical under this act as individuals only have a 2-year window to file a claim for assaults that occurred at any time in the past. So if the harm happened 30 or even 50 years ago – the NYC Gender Motivated Violence Protection Act is designed to give those impacted a window to file claims outside of the traditional statute of limitations.

This window opened on March 1, 2023 and closes on March 1, 2025.

After this window closes, the general statute of limitations for gender-motivated violence in New York City will be extended allowing survivors to bring claims within 7 to 9 years from the date the gender-motivated violent act occurred.

You may have grounds to pursue a civil lawsuit under the NY GMVA if:
1. You suffered harm and losses due to a sexual assault or a sexual crime of violence that was motivated at least in part by gender and
2. The sexual assault / gender-motivated crime occurred within any of New York City’s five boroughs

You do not have to live in NYC to file under the GMVA – but the harm had to happen within in the five boroughs.

Cases commonly filed under the act include those involving domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of gender-based violence. The individual who caused you harm does not have to have criminal charges against them to file a civil lawsuit under the NYC GMVA.

If you or someone you know has experienced gender-based violence in New York, it’s important to understand your rights under this act – which can be hard to understand. Given the short two year window to file outside of the statue of limitations expiring on March 1 2025, even if you’re just exploring your options we encourage you to reach out as soon as possible.

Helping Survivors can help you understand if you can file under the NYC GMVA, what this process entails, and if this step makes sense for you. We can also connect you to an experienced sexual abuse attorney in NYC who can help you understand your legal rights and options and represent you if you choose to move forward.

Please reach out to us today.