Oregon Sexual Assault Attorney Guide

10 sections 7 min read

Oregon now has two sets of civil rules, divided by June 26, 2025. For abuse or assault on or after that date, House Bill 3582 removed the civil deadline for both child and adult survivors. For earlier conduct, a survivor abused as a child has until age 40, or five years from discovering the causal link to an injury, whichever is longer, and an adult survivor has five years from that discovery. The 2025 law did not revive expired claims. This guide sets out those rules, the criminal deadlines, points for a lawyer, and seven firms that represent survivors in Oregon.

Anyone in immediate danger should call 911. Call to Safety’s 24/7 crisis line, listed for the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, is 1-888-235-5333.

The text of ORS 12.117 and 12.118 as it read before the 2025 amendment was taken from Oregon Public Law, and the 2025 changes and criminal provisions from CHILD USA’s review of the enrolled bill and official ORS, all read in October 2026. The page is general information, not advice on any particular case.

Conduct on or After June 26, 2025: No Deadline

As amended by H.B. 3582, Oregon Laws 2025, chapter 447, ORS 12.117(1)(b) provides, as CHILD USA quotes it: “An action based on child sexual abuse or conduct allowing, permitting or encouraging child sexual abuse may be commenced at any time.” CHILD USA reports that ORS 12.118 was amended the same way for sexual assault of a person 18 or older.

Section 3(1) of the 2025 Act limits the change to “claims arising on or after the effective date of this 2025 Act,” which was June 26, 2025, and the measure summary describes it as prospective. It does not revive claims already barred.

Childhood Abuse Before June 26, 2025: Age 40 or Five Years From Discovery

For earlier abuse, ORS 12.117(1) provides that an action “based on conduct that constitutes child abuse or conduct knowingly allowing, permitting or encouraging child abuse that occurs while the person is under 18 years of age must be commenced before the person attains 40 years of age, or if the person has not discovered the causal connection between the injury and the child abuse, nor in the exercise of reasonable care should have discovered the causal connection between the injury and the child abuse, not more than five years from the date the person discovers or in the exercise of reasonable care should have discovered the causal connection between the child abuse and the injury, whichever period is longer.”

The words “conduct knowingly allowing, permitting or encouraging child abuse” bring in organizations and others who enabled the abuse, on the same periods. Section 3(2)(a) of the 2025 Act preserves this rule by name for claims against those third parties that arose before June 26, 2025.

“Child abuse” under ORS 12.117(2) includes rape of a child, sexual abuse when the victim is a child, and sexual exploitation of a child, as well as intentional physical and serious mental injury.

Adult Survivors Before June 26, 2025: Five Years From Discovery

For an assault on an adult before the 2025 change, ORS 12.118(1) provides that an action “based on conduct that constitutes sexual assault or conduct knowingly allowing, permitting or encouraging sexual assault that occurs when a person is 18 years of age or older must be commenced within five years from the date the person discovers, or in the exercise of reasonable care should have discovered, the causal connection between the sexual assault and the injury.”

Like the child rule, it covers those who knowingly allowed, permitted, or encouraged the assault.

Claims Against Public Bodies

Claims against the Oregon Department of Human Services, the Oregon Youth Authority, a school district, or another public body can involve the Oregon Tort Claims Act’s notice requirements, which this guide does not set out and which should be raised with a lawyer at the first meeting. Because a missed notice can defeat an otherwise timely claim, they belong at the start of any case against a public defendant.

Criminal Deadlines Under ORS 131.125

Prosecution is the state’s decision, and Oregon’s criminal limits are shorter than its civil ones. CHILD USA, reading ORS 131.125 as amended effective January 1, 2024, reports:

  • First degree rape, sodomy, unlawful sexual penetration, and sexual abuse (§ 131.125(2)): within 20 years after the crime or, if the victim was under 18, before the victim turns 30, whichever is later.
  • Second and third degree offenses and related crimes (§ 131.125(3)): within six years after the crime or, if the victim was under 18, before the victim turns 30 or within 12 years after the offense is reported to law enforcement or the Department of Human Services, “whichever occurs first.”
  • DNA and corroboration (§ 131.125(10) and (12)): prosecution of the four first degree offenses may be commenced later after a DNA identification or new corroborating evidence, subject to conditions, including a two-year limit after DNA identification.

CHILD USA points out that the “whichever occurs first” wording in subsection (3) means an early report can shorten the period. The civil rules above do not depend on a prosecution.

Questions to Put to an Oregon Lawyer

The date of the abuse or assault relative to June 26, 2025 decides which set of rules applies. Bring that date, your date of birth, when you connected any injury to the abuse, and the names of organizations involved. Then work through:

  1. Did the conduct occur on or after June 26, 2025, removing the deadline?
  2. For earlier childhood abuse, what are the age-40 date and the five-year discovery date under ORS 12.117(1)?
  3. For an earlier adult assault, when did the five-year discovery period under ORS 12.118(1) begin?
  4. Which people or organizations knowingly allowed, permitted, or encouraged the abuse?
  5. Is any defendant a public body subject to Oregon Tort Claims Act notice?
  6. Does the firm represent DHS, OYA, the Archdiocese of Portland, or an insurer that may be a defendant?

Attorney Firms

(1) Crew Janci LLP

Portland-based nationally recognized sexual abuse litigation firm. Current lead counsel in the ongoing Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) sexual abuse litigation, having filed multiple waves of lawsuits against OYA staffers on behalf of former juvenile inmates. Pioneering institutional accountability work in Oregon including the $40 million DHS foster care settlement (2023). Integrates trauma-informed approaches and media advocacy to expose systemic abuse. Free confidential consultation, contingency fee. Client testimonials reflect exceptional personal representation.

(2) D’Amore Law Group

Portland sexual abuse firm with courtroom-tested institutional litigation experience. Lead attorney Tom D’Amore represented a survivor to jury verdict in a case involving an anesthesiologist who sexually abused unconscious patients at an Oregon hospital for at least three years while the hospital concealed multiple prior complaints. Handles hospital abuse, school abuse, church abuse, and individual perpetrator claims statewide. Free confidential consultation, contingency fee.

(3) Kline Law PC (Rob Kline)

Portland sexual abuse attorney with comprehensive civil practice for survivors. Handles claims against institutions including churches, schools, youth groups, government agencies, employers, and property owners. Detailed experience navigating ORS 12.117 and the delayed discovery framework. Free confidential consultation, contingency fee.

(4) The Gatti Law Firm

Oregon personal injury and sexual abuse firm with substantial experience representing survivors against perpetrators and institutions. Handles claims under ORS 12.117 including the delayed discovery exception. Experience with insurance coverage disputes that frequently arise in institutional abuse cases. Free consultation, contingency fee.

(5) Herron Law Firm

Portland personal injury firm with dedicated sexual abuse and assault practice. Handles both child and adult survivor claims including cases involving coaches and instructors in sports settings. Trauma-informed approach with attention to ORS 12.117 child abuse deadlines. Free confidential consultation, contingency fee.

(6) Levy Konigsberg LLP

Nationally recognized firm actively pursuing Oregon foster care sexual abuse claims against Oregon DHS. $3B+ recovered for survivors nationally. Active against the Archdiocese of Portland (bankruptcy proceedings) and OYA. Free confidential consultation, contingency fee.

(7) Paul Galm Law

20+ years serving Oregon clients in abuse and negligence cases. Compassionate, determined approach to institutional and individual abuse claims. Free consultation, contingency fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

I was abused in Oregon in 2005 at age 9. Does the 2025 “any time” rule help me?

No. The 2025 Act applies to claims arising on or after June 26, 2025. Abuse in 2005 is governed by ORS 12.117(1): before your 40th birthday, or five years from when you discovered, or should have discovered, the causal connection to an injury, whichever is longer.

I was assaulted as an adult in 2022. Is the deadline two years?

Not for a sexual assault claim under ORS 12.118(1), which allows five years from when you discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, the causal connection between the assault and the injury.

Can I sue an organization that ignored warnings about my abuser?

The Oregon statutes reach “conduct knowingly allowing, permitting or encouraging” the abuse, on the same periods as claims against the abuser.

Can my abuser still be prosecuted?

Possibly, within the limits of ORS 131.125. For first degree offenses against a child, prosecution must begin within 20 years of the crime or before the victim turns 30, whichever is later.

Support and Reporting Lines

Sources