Sexual Assault Attorneys in Colorado: Your Complete Legal Guide

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Colorado removed the civil deadline for claims based on sexual misconduct, but only for claims that accrued on or after January 1, 2022, or that were still timely on that date under the old six-year rule. The state’s attempt to reopen older childhood claims through the Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act was held unconstitutional as applied to time-barred claims in 2023. Below are those rules, how the old six-year period decides which claims survived, the criminal deadlines, and five firms that represent survivors in Colorado.

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. The Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault office line is 303-839-9999, and the National Sexual Assault Hotline is 1-800-656-4673.

The Colorado statutes and decisions below are quoted from CHILD USA’s October 2026 review. They describe the law in general terms and do not assess an individual claim.

No Deadline Since 2022, for Claims Still Alive on January 1, 2022

C.R.S. § 13-80-103.7(1)(a), as amended by Senate Bill 21-073, provides: “Notwithstanding any other statute of limitations specified in this article 80, or any other provision of law that can be construed to limit the time period to commence an action described in this section, any civil action based on sexual misconduct, including any derivative claim, may be commenced at any time without limitation.”

Subsection (1)(b) sets the reach: the rule “applies to causes of action accruing on or after January 1, 2022, and to causes of action accruing before January 1, 2022, if the applicable statute of limitations, as it existed prior to January 1, 2022, has not yet run on January 1, 2022.”

Whether an older claim survived therefore depends on the earlier rule. CHILD USA, drawing on the Colorado Supreme Court’s account, reports that from 1990 civil sexual misconduct claims carried a six-year period, and that claims by people under a disability, including minority, could be brought within six years after the disability was removed or six years after accrual, whichever was later. Two examples of how the dates fall:

  • An adult assaulted in 2017: the six-year period had not run on January 1, 2022, so the claim now has no deadline.
  • A survivor abused as a child who turned 18 in 2010: the six years after majority ended in 2016, before January 1, 2022, so § 13-80-103.7 does not reopen the claim, unless another rule delayed accrual.

The 2021 Revival Attempt and Aurora Public Schools v. A.S.

Senate Bill 21-088 created the Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act, C.R.S. § 13-20-1201 and following, with a new cause of action against a person who abused a minor in a youth-related activity or program and against the organization operating it if it knew or should have known of the risk. CHILD USA reports that it opened a three-year window for abuse between January 1, 1960 and January 1, 2022 and waived governmental immunity for these claims.

In Aurora Public Schools v. A.S., 2023 CO 39 (June 20, 2023), the Colorado Supreme Court held that the Act violates the state constitution’s ban on retrospective laws as applied to conduct for which the previously available claims were already time-barred. The court stated: “Our holding does not affect claims brought under the CSAAA for which the previously applicable statute of limitations had not run as of January 1, 2022.” The Act therefore remains available for claims that were still timely on that date, but it does not revive expired ones. A federal court applied that holding in Wyatt v. Miller (D. Colo. 2023), dismissing a claim based on abuse decades earlier.

Organizations as Defendants

Two routes can reach organizations. Section 13-80-103.7 applies to “any civil action based on sexual misconduct,” and CHILD USA records the section’s heading as covering “third-party liability”; whether a particular negligence claim against an employer, school, church, or property owner is “based on sexual misconduct” within that section is a point for a lawyer to confirm. The Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act adds a statutory claim against organizations operating youth-related programs that knew or should have known of the risk, for claims within the limits described above. Whether a particular organization is liable depends on its knowledge and conduct.

No Limit for Sex Offenses Against a Child Under § 16-5-401

Prosecution is the state’s decision. CHILD USA quotes C.R.S. § 16-5-401(1)(a): “Murder, kidnapping, treason, any sex offense against a child, and any forgery regardless of the penalty provided: No limit.” A “sex offense against a child” means any felony “unlawful sexual offense” listed in § 18-3-411(1), including sexual assault on a child and sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust.

Misdemeanor sexual assault under § 18-3-402 and misdemeanor unlawful sexual contact under § 18-3-404 must be charged within five years under § 18-3-411(2); for unlawful sexual contact under § 18-3-404, § 16-5-401(7) adds three years and six months when the victim was under 15. Other felonies carry three years and other misdemeanors eighteen months. CHILD USA notes that House Bill 26-1237 amended § 16-5-401 in 2026, so the version in force on the date of the offense is a point to confirm.

The civil rule in § 13-80-103.7 does not depend on any prosecution.

A Colorado Consultation, Step by Step

Bring the date or dates of the misconduct, your age at the time, your date of birth, and the names of any organization involved. With those facts:

  1. Did the claim accrue on or after January 1, 2022, or was it still timely on that date under the six-year rule?
  2. If you were a minor, when did the disability period end, and when did the six years run out?
  3. Does a claim under the Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act exist for this program, given Aurora Public Schools v. A.S.?
  4. Is any defendant a public school or other government body, and how does the Act’s immunity waiver apply?
  5. Does the firm represent any likely defendant or insurer in other matters?
  6. What will be deducted from a recovery for fees and expenses?

Top 5 Sexual Assault Attorneys in Colorado

1. Parker Lipman LLP

Parker Lipman is a Denver plaintiff firm with dedicated sexual assault representation for victims in civil claims across Colorado. The firm secured a $2.8 million jury verdict in a sexual assault case involving a 13-year-old survivor. Attorneys represent victims in claims against individuals, businesses, and organizations arising from negligent security, poor supervision in schools and daycares, negligent hiring, and institutional failures. The firm also represents athletes in civil claims against professional organizations including USA Swimming, the United States Olympic Committee, and USA Taekwondo. Parker Lipman offers free consultations and handles cases on a contingency fee basis.

2. Bachus & Schanker

Bachus & Schanker is one of Colorado’s largest plaintiff firms with a dedicated sexual assault practice. In addition to experienced attorneys, the firm provides dedicated Victim’s Advocates who accompany clients throughout the civil and criminal process, ensuring court participants respect victim rights and communicating with prosecutors about criminal charges. The firm handles all civil sexual misconduct claims under SB 73 and notes that starting in 2022, Colorado survivors face no civil statute of limitations. Bachus & Schanker offers free consultations and operates on a contingency fee basis.

3. Bell & Pollock, P.C.

Bell & Pollock is a Denver plaintiff firm representing sexual assault survivors in civil claims against perpetrators and institutions. The firm handles claims arising from institutional failure to prevent abuse in schools, nursing homes, daycares, healthcare facilities, and workplaces. Attorneys are experienced in pursuing institutional liability theories including negligent hiring, negligent supervision, and negligent retention. Bell & Pollock offers free, confidential, no-obligation consultations and takes cases on a contingency basis.

GV Legal is a Denver personal injury firm whose attorneys handle civil sexual assault claims on behalf of survivors throughout Colorado. The firm files claims against perpetrators, employers, property owners, schools, daycares, and youth organizations whose negligence enabled the abuse. Attorneys note that SB 88 (2021) created a specific right of action allowing minor assault victims to sue organizations operating youth programs that failed to address a known risk of misconduct. GV Legal offers free case evaluations and operates on a contingency fee basis.

5. The Zalkin Law Firm, LLP

The Zalkin Law Firm is a nationally recognized sexual abuse litigation firm with a Colorado-specific practice. The firm handles child sexual abuse cases, clergy abuse, campus sexual assault, Jehovah’s Witness abuse, and medical sexual abuse across Colorado and nationally. Attorneys include Irwin Zalkin, Alex Zalkin, Devin Storey, Ryan Cohen, Tallis Radwick, Daniel Varon, Edmond Menchavez, Sheila Haddock, Kristian Roggendorf, Elizabeth Cate, Elizabeth Hiller, Michael Carroll, Lyndsey Gallagher, and Hunter Haddock. The firm offers free consultations and handles cases on a contingency fee basis.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there no time limit at all for a civil sexual assault claim in Colorado?

There is none for claims that accrued on or after January 1, 2022, or that were still timely under the six-year rule on that date. A claim whose six-year period had already run before January 1, 2022 is not revived.

I was abused as a child in the 1990s. Can the 2021 Accountability Act help me?

Only if your claim was still timely on January 1, 2022. The Colorado Supreme Court held in Aurora Public Schools v. A.S. (2023) that the Act cannot be applied to claims that were already time-barred.

Can I sue the organization that ran the program where the abuse happened?

The Accountability Act creates a claim against youth program operators that knew or should have known of the risk, within the time limits above. A negligence claim may also fall under § 13-80-103.7, whose heading refers to third-party liability.

Do I need a criminal conviction?

No. The civil rule turns on whether the claim is “based on sexual misconduct,” not on a prosecution or conviction.

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