Sexual Assault Attorneys in New Hampshire: Your Complete Legal Guide

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Since September 18, 2020, New Hampshire has allowed a personal action for sexual assault or incest to be brought “at any time,” for survivors abused as children or as adults. In October 2025, in Ball v. Roman Catholic Bishop of Manchester, the New Hampshire Supreme Court held that the state constitution’s ban on retrospective laws prevents that rule from reviving a claim that had already expired before September 18, 2020. Criminal charges for sexual assault of a child must be brought by the victim’s 40th birthday. This guide explains those rules and five firms that represent survivors in New Hampshire.

Anyone who is not safe should call 911. The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence runs a 24/7 statewide helpline at 1-866-644-3574, and the National Sexual Assault Hotline is 1-800-656-4673.

The Revised Statutes and the Ball decision below are quoted from CHILD USA’s analysis, which reports checking the statutes against the General Court’s official text on September 5, 2026 and reading the full opinion. This page is general information about New Hampshire law and does not evaluate a specific claim.

No Deadline Since September 18, 2020

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4-g reads in full: “A person, alleging to have been subjected to any offense under RSA 632-A or an offense under RSA 639:2 may commence a personal action at any time.”

RSA chapter 632-A is the sexual assault chapter and RSA 639:2 is incest. The section covers conduct against children and adults alike and does not require a criminal charge or conviction. The no-deadline wording took effect September 18, 2020.

Ball v. Roman Catholic Bishop of Manchester (2025)

The plaintiff in Ball sued over abuse whose limitation period had run before 2020. The court held: “We hold that the trial court correctly ruled that Part I, Article 23 precludes application of RSA 508:4-g to revive the plaintiff’s time-barred claim.” Part I, Article 23 of the New Hampshire Constitution provides that “Retrospective laws are highly injurious, oppressive, and unjust.”

The court applied a line of New Hampshire cases going back to 1826 holding that once a limitation period has run, the defendant’s right to rely on it has vested. It declined to follow the Maryland Supreme Court’s 2025 decision upholding Maryland’s Child Victims Act. CHILD USA notes that, as a result, only a constitutional amendment could open a route for claims that had already expired.

Which Claims Survived

The dividing line is September 18, 2020. A claim that was still timely on that date has no deadline under § 508:4-g. A claim that had expired before it remains barred. CHILD USA reports that Ball described the general rule for historic childhood abuse as two years past the age of majority, citing Norton v. Patten (1984), which means older claims expired early.

Because the date a claim would have expired under earlier law decides the outcome, the earlier rule in force for the survivor’s dates is the first thing a lawyer will check.

Institutions

The text of § 508:4-g speaks of “[a] person, alleging to have been subjected to” a listed offense, without naming the defendant. Ball itself was a suit against a diocese, decided on the ground that the claim had expired before 2020. Whether a timely claim against a school, church, or employer for its own negligence falls within § 508:4-g is a question for a lawyer, and claims against the State or a public body raise separate immunity issues.

Adults Assaulted After September 18, 2020

Section 508:4-g applies to adults as well as children. For an adult assaulted on or after September 18, 2020, a personal action based on an offense under RSA 632-A may be brought at any time.

Criminal Deadlines Under § 625:8

Prosecution is the state’s decision. CHILD USA reports:

  • Child victims (§ 625:8, III(d)): for an offense under RSA 632-A or incest where the victim was under 18, “within 22 years of the victim’s eighteenth birthday,” which is the 40th birthday.
  • Other felonies (§ 625:8, I): six years; misdemeanors, one year.
  • Trafficking (§ 625:8, III(i)): 20 years, or 20 years from the 18th birthday for a child victim.
  • Concealment (§ 625:8, III(e)): where destruction of evidence, witness tampering, or other unlawful conduct delayed discovery, one year from discovery.

No sexual offense is in the unlimited category, which covers only murder. A civil claim does not depend on any prosecution.

Preparing to Talk With a New Hampshire Lawyer

For abuse before 2020, the deciding question is whether the claim was still alive on September 18, 2020. Bring the survivor’s date of birth, the dates of the abuse, and the names of the people and organizations involved. Questions for the lawyer:

  1. Under the law in force before 2020, when would the claim have expired, and was that before or after September 18, 2020?
  2. Does the conduct fit an offense under RSA 632-A or RSA 639:2?
  3. Does § 508:4-g reach a claim against an organization in these facts?
  4. Is any defendant the State or a public body with immunity defenses?
  5. Does the firm represent the Diocese of Manchester, a school, or an insurer that may be a defendant?

New Hampshire Sexual Assault Attorneys

Stephen Law Group

Stephen Law Group is a regional personal injury firm with offices in Manchester and Concord, New Hampshire, that routinely represents survivors of sexual assault in civil claims throughout the state. The firm handles direct perpetrator claims, negligence-based claims against institutions including employers and property owners for inadequate security, and vicarious liability claims against employers of abusers. The firm is also licensed in Massachusetts and Maine, making it well-positioned for cases involving multistate issues. Free confidential consultation. Contingency fee basis.

Manning Zimmerman & Oliveira PLLC

Manning Zimmerman & Oliveira is a Manchester personal injury firm with decades of experience handling sexual assault civil claims across New Hampshire. The firm pursues claims against direct abusers and institutional defendants including public and private organizations that fail to adequately supervise, screen, or retain safe personnel. They have been active in New Hampshire victim’s rights advocacy and helped educate survivors about the expanded rights created by HB 705. Free confidential consultation. Contingency fee.

Gottesman & Hollis, P.A.

Gottesman & Hollis is a Nashua personal injury firm that represents survivors of sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse in civil claims. The firm handles direct perpetrator claims under New Hampshire’s unlimited SOL, institutional negligence cases, and claims involving grooming or abuse in trusted relationships (teachers, coaches, clergy, medical professionals). The firm prepares every case for trial, creating leverage for favorable settlements while remaining ready to litigate. Free consultation. Contingency fee.

Parnell, Michels & McKay

Parnell Michels & McKay is a New Hampshire civil litigation firm that handles sexual assault claims and has provided public analysis on the implications of HB 705 for survivors. The firm’s attorneys are licensed in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Free consultation.

Shaheen & Gordon, P.A.

Shaheen & Gordon is a statewide New Hampshire firm handling sexual assault, harassment, and student victim claims against educational institutions. The firm both advises on Title IX obligations and represents student victims where educational institutions failed to meet their legal duty to protect. Available statewide. Free consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

I was assaulted as an adult in 2022. Is there a deadline to sue the person who did it?

No. For an offense under RSA 632-A, § 508:4-g allows a personal action at any time.

I was abused in the 1980s. Does the 2020 law let me sue now?

Only if your claim had not already expired by September 18, 2020. In Ball (2025), the New Hampshire Supreme Court held that the 2020 rule cannot revive claims that were time-barred before it took effect.

Can the legislature pass a new law to revive old claims?

CHILD USA reads Ball as closing that route to ordinary legislation; it would take an amendment to Part I, Article 23 of the state constitution.

Can child sexual assault be prosecuted when the survivor is an adult?

Yes, until the survivor’s 40th birthday under § 625:8, III(d).

Support and Reporting Lines

  • Emergency: 911
  • New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, 24/7 helpline: 1-866-644-3574
  • National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673

Sources