Sexual Assault Attorneys in Iowa: Your Complete Legal Guide
Understanding Your Legal Rights in Iowa
Sexual assault survivors in Iowa have two independent legal pathways available to them: criminal prosecution and civil litigation. These systems operate separately, and the outcome of one does not determine the outcome of the other. A criminal acquittal, a plea bargain, charges that were never filed, or a case that was closed without prosecution does not prevent you from pursuing a civil lawsuit against your abuser or any institution that enabled the abuse.
Iowa’s civil statute of limitations laws are widely regarded as among the most restrictive in the nation. The state has made minimal progress in extending civil deadlines for abuse survivors despite significant advocacy, and it has not enacted a lookback window. This makes it essential to consult an attorney as early as you are ready, because the legal window for filing a civil claim may be shorter than you realize.
Iowa courts routinely allow survivors to file civil lawsuits anonymously using designations such as “Jane Doe” or “John Doe.” Your attorney can request and usually obtain a court order permitting anonymous filing to protect your privacy throughout the legal process.
Iowa Criminal Statute of Limitations
Iowa’s criminal statute of limitations governs how long prosecutors have to file criminal charges after an offense. Iowa made significant reforms in 2021 when Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 562 into law, eliminating the criminal statute of limitations for sexual abuse and exploitation of minors.
Under current Iowa law (Iowa Code § 802.2 and related provisions):
First-degree sexual abuse: No statute of limitations. Charges may be filed at any time regardless of when the offense occurred.
Sexual abuse involving a minor victim (1st, 2nd, or 3rd degree): Prosecution may be commenced within 10 years after the victim turns 18, or within 3 years after DNA evidence identifying the perpetrator becomes available, whichever is later. For the most serious offenses, charges may be filed at any time.
Child sexual abuse and exploitation of a minor generally: No statute of limitations under the 2021 reforms. Prosecutors can file charges at any time, regardless of when the abuse occurred.
Other adult sexual offenses: Iowa Code § 802.2 provides a 10-year limitations period for most sexual abuse offenses committed against adults, running from the date of the offense, with a DNA revival provision allowing charges within 3 years of identification through DNA evidence.
Incest involving a minor: Prosecution may be commenced within 10 years after the victim turns 18.
Sexual exploitation by a counselor, therapist, or school employee: For offenses involving a minor victim, prosecution may begin within 10 years after the victim turns 18. For adult victims, within 10 years after the last treatment or the last date the victim attended the school.
Iowa’s 2021 criminal reform has made it one of the states most favorable to criminal prosecution of child sexual abuse regardless of when the abuse occurred.
Iowa Civil Statute of Limitations
Iowa’s civil statute of limitations for sexual abuse lawsuits is governed by Iowa Code Chapter 614 and is widely considered among the worst in the nation for survivors. Child USA has awarded Iowa a failing grade for its civil statute of limitations, reflecting limitations that cut off most survivors’ claims before they are ready or able to come forward.
Adult survivors abused as adults: 2 years from the date of the assault to file a civil lawsuit (Iowa Code § 614.1(2)). Iowa courts apply the discovery rule cautiously for adult victims, so absent exceptional circumstances, the 2-year clock begins running on the date the assault occurred.
Child victims — standard rule: Victims abused as minors have until age 19 (one year after turning 18) to file a civil lawsuit. This deadline is among the shortest in the country, and has been widely criticized by survivor advocates and researchers. Iowa Code § 614.8(2).
Discovery rule — childhood abuse: Survivors who were under 14 at the time of the abuse may invoke a 4-year discovery rule that begins running from the date they discovered, or in the exercise of reasonable diligence should have discovered, both the abuse and the causal connection between the abuse and their injuries. This rule most commonly applies when childhood abuse was repressed or when a survivor does not connect adult psychological symptoms to childhood abuse until receiving therapy. Once the discovery is made, the survivor has 4 years to file.
Special rule — counselors, therapists, and school employees: If the abuser was a therapist, counselor, mental health professional, school employee, or an adult responsible for providing training or instruction, the statute of limitations is 5 years from the last date of treatment or the last date the victim was enrolled in or attended the school. This rule applies to both adult and minor victims and can provide substantially more time than the standard deadline in cases involving ongoing therapeutic or educational relationships.
Mental illness or disability: The statute of limitations is tolled during any period in which a survivor suffers from a mental illness or disability that prevents them from understanding the nature of their legal rights or taking legal action. This tolling provision can apply in cases involving severe PTSD, dissociative disorders, intellectual disability, or other conditions caused or exacerbated by the abuse.
Government defendants: Claims against public school districts and other municipal government entities carry the same 2-year baseline deadline, with tolling to age 19 for minor victims. However, Iowa’s special childhood-abuse discovery statute generally does not extend claims against municipalities, meaning child abuse survivors who want to sue a public school district typically must file by age 19 regardless of when they discovered the connection between the abuse and their injuries.
State of Iowa entities: Claims against state agencies, state-run schools, and state institutions are governed by the Iowa Tort Claims Act, which requires a written claim to be filed with the State within 2 years before any lawsuit can be commenced.
No lookback window: Iowa has not enacted a retroactive lookback window that would revive time-barred claims for any category of survivors. In 2024, Iowa passed a narrow, one-time measure to help survivors access compensation from the Boy Scouts of America national bankruptcy settlement, but that carve-out applies only to that specific BSA bankruptcy process and not to civil lawsuits generally. Survivors whose deadlines may have expired should still consult an attorney, as individual circumstances involving the discovery rule, mental illness tolling, or ongoing relationships with abusers may create viable pathways that are not immediately apparent.
Iowa Victim Compensation Program: Iowa provides a crime victim compensation program administered through the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. The program can help cover crime-related out-of-pocket expenses including medical treatment, counseling, and related costs. Eligibility requires cooperation with law enforcement. Survivors should contact the Iowa Attorney General’s Victim Services for current information about benefit limits and application procedures.
The Problem with Iowa’s Civil SOL
Iowa’s civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse has been a target of sustained criticism from survivor advocates, researchers, and legal scholars. The primary problems are as follows.
The age-19 deadline gives most childhood abuse survivors just one year after reaching adulthood to file a civil lawsuit. Research consistently shows that survivors of childhood sexual abuse disclose abuse on average 20 to 30 years after it occurred. Survivors are typically in their 30s, 40s, or 50s when they first connect their adult mental health struggles, relationship problems, and functional difficulties to the abuse they experienced as children. Iowa’s current law bars the overwhelming majority of childhood survivors from ever filing a civil lawsuit.
Iowa has not enacted a lookback window while neighboring states and many other jurisdictions have done so, leaving survivors with expired deadlines permanently without a civil remedy regardless of how serious the abuse was or how credible their evidence is.
The absence of reform has not been for lack of effort. Survivor advocacy organizations have repeatedly urged the Iowa Legislature to extend the civil SOL and create a lookback window, but these efforts have not succeeded as of early 2026.
How Civil Sexual Abuse Lawsuits Work in Iowa
In a civil lawsuit, you are the plaintiff and you control key decisions including whether to settle or take the case to trial. The burden of proof in civil court is “preponderance of the evidence,” meaning it is more likely than not that the abuse occurred and caused harm. This is a much lower standard than the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard in criminal court.
Civil defendants can include not only the direct abuser but also any institution, organization, employer, or other party that enabled the abuse or failed to prevent it. Common institutional defendants include Catholic dioceses and other churches, schools and school districts, youth sports organizations, youth-serving nonprofits, healthcare providers, group homes and residential facilities, and employers.
Damages available in Iowa civil sexual abuse cases include past and future medical and psychiatric treatment costs, past and future lost wages and earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. In cases involving egregious institutional conduct or deliberate concealment, punitive damages may be available.
Most sexual abuse civil attorneys in Iowa handle cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning no fees are due unless compensation is recovered. Initial consultations are typically free and confidential.
Featured Iowa Sexual Assault Law Firms
1. Roxanne Conlin & Associates, P.C.
Location: 3721 SW 61st Street, Suite C, Des Moines, IA 50321 (serving survivors statewide)
Phone: (515) 283-1111
Website: https://www.roxanneconlinlaw.com
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
Location: 1415 28th Street, Suite 160, West Des Moines, IA 50266
Phone: (515) 440-0532
Email: PJH@Hopkinslawiowa.com
Website: https://www.iowaabuseattorney.com
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
Location: 319 SW 5th Street, Suite 201, Des Moines, IA 50309
Phone: (515) 465-5326 | Toll Free: (866) 965-5326
Website: https://www.spellmanlawfirm.com
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.
What to Expect When You Contact a Sexual Abuse Attorney
All three firms listed above offer free initial consultations. You do not need to bring documents, evidence, or a fully developed account of what happened in order to have an initial conversation with an attorney. Attorneys experienced in sexual abuse representation are accustomed to working with incomplete information and will guide you at whatever pace is comfortable.
Attorney-client privilege protects everything you share with your attorney from disclosure. As noted above, Iowa courts allow survivors to file anonymously to protect their privacy throughout the legal process.
Once you retain an attorney, the firm will conduct an independent investigation, identify all potentially responsible parties, gather relevant records, and evaluate the strength of your case. Civil sexual abuse cases typically take one to three years to resolve depending on whether the case settles or proceeds to trial. Cases involving institutional defendants with complex insurance arrangements may take longer.
Survivor Resources in Iowa
National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-4673 (24/7, free and confidential)
Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault (IowaCASA): iowacasa.org | (515) 244-7424 — Maintains a network of 24 sexual assault crisis centers across Iowa.
Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline: 1-800-284-7821
Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP): rvap.org | Based in Iowa City, serves adult sexual abuse survivors and adult survivors of incest statewide with counseling, advocacy, and referrals.
Iowa Attorney General — Victim Services: iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-crime-victims — Resources and crime victim compensation information.
IowaVINE: Free and anonymous service providing crime victims with information about offender custody status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I file a civil lawsuit if the criminal case was dropped or my abuser was acquitted?
Yes. Civil and criminal proceedings are completely independent. The outcome of a criminal case does not determine your civil rights. Many survivors successfully recover civil compensation in cases where no criminal prosecution occurred.
What if I am past age 19?
You may still have legal options depending on the specific circumstances of your case. The discovery rule, the counselor/therapist exception, the mental illness tolling provision, and other legal theories can extend the deadline in ways that are not obvious without case-specific analysis. An attorney experienced in sexual abuse law is the only reliable way to determine whether your claim is still viable.
Can I sue the institution that employed my abuser?
Yes. Schools, churches, healthcare facilities, youth organizations, employers, and other institutions can be held liable if they knew or should have known about the risk posed by an abuser and failed to act. These institutional claims often represent the most significant recovery opportunity, as institutions typically have greater financial resources and insurance coverage than individual abusers.
Is Iowa’s civil SOL going to change?
As of early 2026, Iowa has not enacted major civil SOL reform or a lookback window despite ongoing advocacy efforts. Survivors should not assume reform is imminent and should consult an attorney now rather than waiting.
Does Iowa have a crime victim compensation fund?
Yes. Iowa’s Violent Crime Victim Assistance Program can help cover crime-related expenses. Contact the Iowa Attorney General’s Office for current eligibility requirements and benefit levels.
This guide is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Iowa’s statute of limitations and other legal rules are subject to change. Survivors should consult with a qualified Iowa attorney to evaluate the specific facts of their situation. The firms profiled above have been included based on publicly available and verified information; inclusion does not constitute an endorsement.