Sexual Assault Attorneys in Iowa: Your Complete Legal Guide

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Iowa’s deadline for childhood sexual abuse claims changed on July 1, 2026. House File 1036 extended the time to file to five years after the survivor turns 18, and lengthened the discovery period from four years to five, without an outer age limit. Abuse by a counselor, therapist, school employee, or instructor carries a separate five-year rule tied to the end of treatment or schooling, and other adult injury claims have two years. Below are those rules, the one-defendant window that closes December 31, 2026, the criminal deadlines, and three firms that represent survivors in Iowa.

If you are in danger, call 911. Iowa’s 24/7 Victim Service Call Center, run by Violence Free Iowa, is 1-800-770-1650, or text IOWAHELP to 20121.

The Iowa Code sections below were read in the Iowa Legislature’s official Code 2026 and in CHILD USA’s review of the July 2026 amendment, both in October 2026. The page is general information and does not evaluate any particular claim.

Childhood Abuse After House File 1036: Age 23, or Five Years From Discovery

As amended effective July 1, 2026, Iowa Code § 614.8A provides, in CHILD USA’s quotation:

  • Subsection 1: “the time to file an action related to sexual abuse or human trafficking that occurred when the injured person was a minor is extended to five years beyond the minor’s attainment of eighteen years of age.”
  • Subsection 2: “In addition to the extension of the time provided in subsection 1, an action for damages for injury suffered as a result of sexual abuse or human trafficking that occurred when the injured person was a child, but not discovered until after the injured person is of the age of majority, shall be brought within five years from the time of discovery by the injured party of both the injury and the causal relationship between the injury and the sexual abuse or human trafficking.”

The change is large. The version printed in the official Iowa Code 2026, before the amendment, contained only a discovery rule with a four-year period, and the general minority rule in § 614.8(2) gave minors “one year from and after attainment of majority” to sue. After July 1, 2026, a survivor who always knew what happened has until the 23rd birthday, and a survivor who connects an injury to the abuse later has five years from that discovery, with no age cap on the discovery branch.

CHILD USA notes that the section carries an editor’s note that its text is subject to final changes for the Code 2027, so the numbering or wording may shift. How the 2026 amendment applies to a claim that had already expired before July 1, 2026 is a question for a lawyer to check against the act’s applicability provisions.

Counselors, Therapists, School Employees, and Instructors: Five Years From the Last Contact

Iowa Code § 614.1(12) sets a separate period for abuse in a professional or school relationship: an action for injury from “sexual abuse, as defined in section 709.1, by a counselor, therapist, school employee, or adult providing training or instruction,” or from sexual exploitation by such a person, “shall be brought within five years of the date the victim was last treated by the counselor or therapist, or within five years of the date the victim was last enrolled in or attended the school.”

This rule is not limited to minors. A survivor whose therapist or coach abused them as an adult has five years from the last treatment or last day of enrollment or attendance.

Adult Survivors: Two Years

For other adult claims, Iowa Code § 614.1(2) covers actions “founded on injuries to the person or reputation, including injuries to relative rights, whether based on contract or tort,” which must be brought “within two years.” The general extension for mental illness in § 614.8(1) gives a person with mental illness one year after the disability ends.

The Boy Scouts Bankruptcy Window Ends December 31, 2026

Senate File 2431 (2024) suspends Iowa’s limitation periods for one category of claims. As CHILD USA quotes the act, an action by a person who was a child when the right accrued “may be commenced by or on behalf of the injured individual at any time, notwithstanding any then applicable statute of limitation,” if the injury arises from an enumerated sex offense, the claim is otherwise barred, and the action is “for purposes of making a claim in a bankruptcy proceeding that was initiated on February 18, 2020” against “the bankruptcy estate of a congressionally chartered organization.” Section 2(2) limits the action to that entity, “and not against any other person or entity,” and § 3 provides: “This Act is repealed December 31, 2026.”

The act’s own findings call after-the-fact exceptions to limitation periods “in general, poor public policy,” and Iowa has no general revival window.

Public Schools and State Agencies

The minority extension in § 614.8(2) names chapters 669 and 670 of the Iowa Code, which govern claims against the state and against municipalities, including school districts. How the July 2026 amendment to § 614.8A interacts with those chapters for a claim against a public school or state agency is a question to settle early with a lawyer, because those chapters carry their own claim procedures.

Criminal Deadlines Under Chapter 802

Prosecution is the state’s decision. As CHILD USA quotes the official Iowa Code:

  • Sexual abuse of a minor (§ 802.2(1)): “An information or indictment for sexual abuse in the first, second, or third degree committed on or with a person who is under the age of eighteen years may be commenced at any time after the commission of the offense.”
  • Other sexual abuse (§ 802.2(2)): ten years, or three years from DNA identification of the offender, whichever is later.
  • Incest and professional exploitation of a minor (§ 802.2A): at any time.
  • Other listed child sexual offenses (§ 802.2B): at any time, including lascivious acts with a child, indecent contact with a child, lascivious conduct with a minor, and sexual exploitation of a minor.
  • Kidnapping of a minor (§ 802.2C): within ten years after the victim turns 18, or three years from DNA identification.

The civil periods above do not depend on a criminal case.

Preparing an Iowa Claim

The dates that decide an Iowa claim are the survivor’s date of birth, the dates of the abuse, the date the survivor connected an injury to it, and, for abuse by a counselor, therapist, school employee, or instructor, the last date of treatment, enrollment, or attendance. With those dates, a lawyer can work through:

  1. Does the July 2026 version of § 614.8A apply, and what are the age-23 date and the five-year discovery date?
  2. Does § 614.1(12) give a later date because of a treatment or school relationship?
  3. For an adult assault outside § 614.1(12), what is the two-year date under § 614.1(2)?
  4. Is any defendant a school district or state agency, and what claim procedure applies?
  5. Does Senate File 2431 matter for a claim connected to the Boy Scouts of America before December 31, 2026?
  6. Does the firm represent any likely defendant or insurer in other matters, and how are case costs handled?

1. Roxanne Conlin & Associates, P.C.

Roxanne Conlin & Associates is one of Iowa’s most recognized and historically significant plaintiff’s firms, founded and led by Roxanne Barton Conlin, a nationally decorated trial attorney who has spent nearly 60 years fighting on behalf of people who have been harmed by others. The firm represents sexual abuse and assault survivors across Iowa and handles civil remedies for victims of crime alongside its broader personal injury and civil rights practice.

Roxanne Conlin’s career is defined by a long list of historic firsts. She entered Drake University at 16 and graduated from law school with honors at 21. From 1969 to 1976, she served as an Assistant Attorney General for Iowa and led the Iowa Civil Rights section. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed her as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, making her one of the first two women in the country ever to hold a U.S. Attorney position. In 1982, she became the Democratic nominee for Governor of Iowa, the first woman nominated for governor by a major party in the state. She was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 1981 and has been inducted into the Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame.

In 1995, Conlin was elected to membership in the Inner Circle of Advocates, a national organization limited to 100 of the best plaintiff trial lawyers in the United States. She was the first woman president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (now the American Association for Justice), a 60,000-member organization of consumer attorneys. She is a recipient of the Leonard M. Ring Champion of Justice Award from the American Association for Justice, given annually to the member whose life and career most exemplifies the pursuit of justice. The National Law Journal has named her one of “The Fifty Most Influential Women Lawyers in America” and one of the ten most influential women attorneys in the nation. She carries an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible peer review rating for legal ability and ethical standards.

The firm’s attorneys include Roxanne Conlin together with associate attorneys Devin Kelly and Tyler Adams, who brings a Juris Doctor with high honors from Drake University and has clerked for the Iowa Supreme Court.

The firm handles sexual harassment, rape, domestic abuse, and other civil remedies for crime victims, in addition to employment discrimination and catastrophic personal injury. All consultations are free and confidential, and the firm works exclusively on a plaintiff’s contingency basis.

2. Hopkins Law Office, PLC

Hopkins Law Office, PLC, is a West Des Moines firm founded in 1975 that has developed a specialized focus on representing survivors of sexual abuse and victims of elder abuse across Iowa. The firm is led by founding attorney Patrick J. Hopkins, who graduated from the University of Iowa in 1972 and has been licensed to practice law for more than 50 years. Hopkins carries an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, indicating the highest level of professional excellence as assessed by peer attorneys.

The firm’s approach to sexual abuse representation is built on two principles: that survivors should have a safe, confidential space to tell their stories without judgment, and that justice is possible regardless of how much time has passed since the abuse occurred. Hopkins Law handles cases involving child molestation, institutional abuse, clergy abuse, teacher and counselor abuse, leadership and organizational abuse such as abuse within scouting organizations or youth sports, premises liability arising from abuse at institutions that failed to protect the people in their care, and elder abuse including sexual abuse of nursing home residents.

All communications go directly through the office and nowhere else, ensuring confidentiality throughout the representation. The firm offers free initial consultations and handles cases on a contingency fee basis. Appointments can be arranged at times convenient for clients.

3. Spellman Law Firm LLP

The Spellman Law Firm is one of Iowa’s oldest continuously operating plaintiff’s firms, founded in 1954 and still a family-run practice representing survivors of catastrophic injuries and civil wrongs. Since 1954, the firm has established a record of successful verdicts, settlements, and multi-million dollar outcomes for clients across Iowa. The firm is licensed to practice in Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Illinois and can appear in other states on a case-by-case basis.

The firm’s sexual abuse practice covers a full range of survivor cases, including child molestation, clergy and priest abuse, counselor and therapist abuse, institutional abuse, and teacher abuse. The firm represents both children and adults whose lives have been disrupted by sexual abuse of any kind.

Unlike most firms, Spellman assigns at least two attorneys to every client’s case, providing a team approach to legal representation. The firm has received recognition from the American College of Trial Lawyers, the National Trial Lawyers Top 100, the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Super Lawyers, and carries the AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. The firm is a member of the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers and the Iowa Association for Justice.

Partners include Thomas Spellman, Mark Spellman (Drake University Law School, honors graduate, LL.M. in health law from DePaul University, 20+ years of civil litigation experience in state and federal court including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit), Christine Creighton, Edward (Ted) Spellman, and Kevin Spellman. The firm handles matters at its Des Moines office and serves clients across Iowa and surrounding states. Free consultations and contingency fee representation are available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Iowa’s childhood abuse deadline still age 19?

No. Since July 1, 2026, § 614.8A extends the time to five years after age 18, and allows five years from discovery of the injury and its link to the abuse. The one-year-after-majority rule in § 614.8(2) no longer sets the limit for these claims.

I was abused by my high school coach. Is there a different deadline?

Possibly a later one. Section 614.1(12) allows five years from the date you were last enrolled in or attended the school, for sexual abuse or exploitation by a school employee or adult providing training or instruction.

I am 45 and only recently understood how childhood abuse affected me. Can I still sue?

Under § 614.8A(2), the five-year discovery period runs from when you discovered both the injury and its causal relationship to the abuse, with no outer age limit. Whether the July 2026 version applies to your claim is a point to confirm with a lawyer.

Does Iowa have a lookback window?

Only the Boy Scouts bankruptcy window in Senate File 2431, which is limited to that bankruptcy estate and is repealed December 31, 2026.

Support and Reporting Lines

  • Emergency: 911
  • Iowa Victim Service Call Center (Violence Free Iowa), 24/7: 1-800-770-1650, or text IOWAHELP to 20121
  • National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673

Firms appear on this page based on publicly available information; inclusion is not an endorsement.

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