Child sex abuse, statute of limitations

2025-2026 Bill 5203: Child sex abuse, statute of limitations - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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H. 5203
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Rep. Sanders
Document Path: LC-0322HDB26.docx
Introduced in the House on February 18, 2026
Currently residing in the House Committee on
Judiciary
Summary: Child sex abuse, statute of limitations
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

2/18/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 48
)

2/18/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
House Journal-page 48
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
02/18/2026

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS
BY AMENDING SECTION
15-3-555
, RELATING TO the STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR ACTIONs
BASED ON SEXUAL ABUSE OR INCEST, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT, FOR PURPOSES OF CLAIMS
AGAINST A BANKRUPTCY ESTATE, AN ACTION BROUGHT BY A VICTIM OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL
ABUSE MAY BE BROUGHT AT ANY TIME AFTER THE CAUSE OF ACTION ACCRUES.

B
e it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1.
S
ection
15-3-555
of the S.C.
Code is amended to read:

S
ection
15-3-555
.
(
A)

An
Except as provided in subsection (C), an

action to recover damages for injury to a person arising out of an act of
sexual abuse or incest must be commenced within six years after the person
becomes twenty-one years of age or within three years from the time of
discovery by the person of the injury and the causal relationship between the
injury and the sexual abuse or incest, whichever occurs later.

(
B) Parental immunity is not a defense
against claims based on sexual abuse or incest that occurred before, on, or
after this section's effective date.

(
C)
(
1) For purposes of making a claim
against a bankruptcy estate, an action for sexual abuse brought by a victim of
childhood sexual abuse, or an action brought by a victim of childhood sexual
abuse asserting any claim resulting from childhood sexual abuse, may be brought
at any time after the cause of action accrues.

(
2) For purposes of this subsection,
"childhood sexual abuse" means any conduct that constitutes a violation of any
of the offenses described in Articles 7 and 8, Chapter 3, Title 16, if the
victim of the violation is at the time of the violation a minor under eighteen
years of age or a child with a developmental disability or physical impairment
under twenty-one years of age. The court need not find that any person has been
convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense described in Articles 7 and 8,
Chapter 3, Title 16, in order for the conduct that is the violation
constituting the offense to be childhood sexual abuse for purposes of this
section.

S
ECTION
2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on February 18, 2026 at 1:08 PM