Sen. Favola’s bill amending statute of limitations for sexual abuse lawsuits passes both Virginia chambers

A bill recently approved by both legislative chambers and introduced by State Sen. Barbara A. Favola aims to modernize the criteria for determining when the statute of limitations begins in civil cases involving sexual abuse injuries, according to the Virginia State Senate.

The legislation was formally enrolled on Feb. 27, 2026, after passing the House with a 97-0 vote and the Senate with a 39-0 vote.

Filed as SB37 on Jan. 14, 2026, during the regular session, the bill was summarized by the legislature: “Sexual abuse during infancy or incapacity; accrual.”

The following overview is based on the actual bill text and provides clarifications to help explain its scope.

This bill revises how the starting point is determined for a civil claim involving injuries from sexual abuse during infancy or incapacity for the statute of limitations. While maintaining existing procedures for other civil claims, the legislation updates the accrual rules so that for these cases, the period starts at the latest of three events: the end of the disability of infancy or incapacity, when a licensed physician or psychologist first informs the person of the injury and its connection to the abuse, or when corroborative evidence is or should reasonably have been discovered. The measure defines “corroborative evidence” and also clarifies that “sexual abuse” covers specified sex offenses under current criminal statutes.

In the House, support came from 63 Democrats and 34 Republicans.

Support in the Senate included 21 Democrats and 18 Republicans.

The bill’s sponsors were Sen. Barbara A. Favola (Democrat-40th District) and Sen. Russet Perry (Democrat-31st District).

Favola earned her BS from Saint Joseph College in 1977.

Favola, a Democrat, was elected to represent the 40th Senate district in 2024, taking the seat previously held by Todd Pillion.

The legislative process in Virginia starts when a bill is introduced in either the House of Delegates or the Senate, assigned to committees for consideration and potential amendment, then proceeds to the floor for debate and a vote in both chambers. Passage by both sends the bill to the governor, who may sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature. The General Assembly meets in regular session annually beginning the second Monday in January, reviewing hundreds of bills each session, with only some reaching law.

Information in this article was obtained from the Virginia State Senate. The source data can be found here.