§ 13A-6-158 — Limitation Period

(a)(1) Except as provided in subsection (c), an action for an offense defined by this article where the victim is not a minor shall be brought within five years from the date the victim was removed or escaped from the human trafficking situation.
(2) Any statute of limitations that would otherwise preclude prosecution for an offense involving the trafficking of a minor, or the physical or sexual abuse of a minor, shall be tolled until such time as the victim has reached the age of 19 years.
(3) The running of the statute of limitations shall be suspended where a person entitled to bring a claim of an offense defined by this article could not have reasonably discovered the crime due to circumstances resulting from the human trafficking situation, such as psychological trauma, cultural and linguistic isolation, and the inability to access services.
(b) Any statute of limitation period imposed for the filing of a civil action under this article will not begin to run until the plaintiff discovers both that the sex trade act occurred and that the defendant caused, was responsible for, or profited from the sex trade act.
(1) If the plaintiff is a minor, then the limitation period will not commence running until he or she has reached the age of majority.
(2) If the plaintiff is under a disability at the time the cause of action accrues, so that it is impossible or impractical for him or her to bring an action, then the time of the disability is not part of the time limited for the commencement of the action. Disability includes, but is not limited to, insanity, imprisonment, or other incapacity or incompetence.
(3) If the plaintiff’s injury is caused by two or more acts that are part of a continuing series of sex trade acts by the same defendant, then the limitation period will not commence running until the last sex trade act in the continuing series occurs.
(4) If the plaintiff is subject to threats, intimidation, manipulation, or fraud perpetrated by the defendant or by any person acting in the interest of the defendant, then the time when these acts occur will not be part of the time limited for the commencement of this action.
(c) There shall be no limitation period for civil actions brought under this article by the Attorney General.

Legislative History

(Act 2010-705, p. 1708, §9; Act 2018-506, §3.)