Can I sue my father for years of abuse if I’m now an adult?
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Can I sue my father for years of abuse if I’m now an adult?
My father has physically, verbally and emotionally abused me my whole life (starting at the age of 8, and I am 32 now). The physical abuse has stopped since I don’t live with him anymore, but the emotional damage he has done to me has been devastating. Yes, at my age, I am still trying to recover from the abuse. I have depression, anxiety (which I am on medication for) and have been diagnosed with BPD (it’s like Bi-polar disorder, but fundamentally different). It’s like he has destroyed my life. I have been in therapy for years, and have undergone many hardships. What can I do legally?
Asked on June 10, 2012 under Personal Injury, North Carolina
Answers:
Robert Slim / Robert C. Slim - Attorney at Law
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
You would probably have difficulty maintaining such an action since the statute of limitations has expired. A minor child may sue for injuries sustained during his/her childhood upon reaching the age of eighteen. At that point, the statute of limitations begins to run against those claims. In Texas, the case you describe is governed by a two-year limitations period. Likewise, the effective period to assert such a claim would have expired on your twentieth birthday.
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