Nevada Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

Nevada has made some progress on both their criminal and civil statute of limitations (SOL) laws since 2002. Its efforts to change legislation have helped survivors of sexual abuse get justice against their abusers in the courts, and also allows for compensation. These laws enable lawyers handling sexual abuse claims in Nevada to file cases against sexual predators, including clergy members, and the Catholic Church.

Below you will find Nevada lawsuits news & updates, as well as additional information on Nevada’s statute of limitations laws. These laws are important because they dictate how long a lawyer handling an Nevada sexual assault case has to file a claim on behalf of a survivor. In addition, we’ve compiled a list of Nevada’s settlements received by sexual abuse and assault survivors and a list of Nevada’s ‘credibly’ accused priests released by the dioceses.

Nevada Statute of Limitations for Sexual Abuse & Assault

In 2013, Nevada made improvements to its criminal SOL reform legislation. And in 2017, the state made improvements to its civil SOL reform legislation. Most recently in 2019, Nevada added a criminal SOL DNA discovery rule which eliminated the SOL for survivors of felony sexual assault where the perpetrator was identified and established by DNA testing.

Criminal Statute of Limitations Laws for Nevada

In 2013, Nevada extended the criminal SOL for sexual abuse and sex trafficking to age 36, or age 43 if the abuse was not reasonably discoverable by age 36 for felonies and misdemeanors. And in 2019, Nevada added a DNA discovery rule which essentially eliminated the criminal SOL for sexual abuse survivors if DNA evidence was established against their perpetrator. Child USA, who has evaluated every state based on their criminal statute of limitations laws, gave Nevada letter grade of D, on the traditional A-F scale, where A is the best. A letter grade of D is defined as a criminal SOL for sexual abuse survivors between the age of 40 to 50.

Civil Statute of Limitations Laws for Nevada

In 2017, Nevada extended the civil SOL for sexual abuse survivors to age 38 (age of majority, 18, plus 20 years) and added a victim-friendly discovery rule giving survivors 20 years following discovery, or when a connection to the sexual abuse is made, to file a claim. In 2021, Nevada opened a permanent revival window for claims against perpetrators that have been held criminally liable for sexual abuse or exploitation of a minor. This only includes promoters, possessors and viewers of child sexual abuse material. The permanent window for claims brought against other defendants is limited to those age 38 or younger.

Child USA, who has also evaluated every state based on their civil statute of limitations laws, gave Nevada a Civil SOL Age Cap letter grade of B, on the traditional A-F scale, where A is the best. A letter grade of B is defined as no age cap for some claims, however, the rating comes with asterisk explaining that the state has a younger SOL age cap for suits against non-perpetrators. Additionally, Child USA gave Nevada a related SOL Revival Law letter grade of C on the same A-F scale. A letter grade of C is defined as a revival window or revival up to age 30-54, and the law is not explicitly for all types of defendants.

If you or someone you love was sexually abused or assaulted in Nevada, contact us now. Those sexually abused as a minor may still have a claim against their abuser, depending on how long ago the abuse occurred. Even if the abuser is deceased, you may still have a claim against the organization responsible. Don’t wait to file your claim.

Go to our main sexual abuse page to learn more about the process of filing a clergy sexual abuse claim.

Nevada Sexual Abuse Settlements

Catholic Dioceses in Nevada have agreed to pay out nearly $19 million to victims of child sex abuse. Below outlines the timeline and details of the related settlements.

February 2004 – In 2002, the John Jay College of Criminal Justice completed a study on Catholic Church clergy sexual abuse of minors in the state of Nevada. In February 2004, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops announced the results of the study including approximately $2.5 million in combined settlements given to victims of clergy sex abuse from the Diocese of Reno and the Diocese of Las Vegas. The $2.5 million in settlements were a result of 8 priests being accused of sexual abuse of a minor in the state between 1950-1995.

April 2019 – In April 2019, Bishop George Leo Thomas, who leads the Las Vegas Diocese, said the Diocese of Las Vegas paid out approximately $15 million to Catholic Church sex abuse victims between 1995-2019. In 1995, Nevada split the then Reno-Las Vegas Diocese into two separate dioceses, the Diocese of Reno, and the Diocese of Las Vegas.

April 2019 – In April 2019, Rev. Randolph R. Calvo, who leads the Reno Diocese, said the Diocese of Reno paid out approximately $1.4 million to Catholic Church sex abuse victims between 1998-2019.

*The settlements listed above are offered for educational purposes only and do not guarantee any future outcome or settlement. Each legal situation is different, and past performance does not guarantee future results. We do not maintain that is a full list of all settlements in the state of Nevada but merely a grouping of those we choose to share on our website. Please contact us if you would like additional settlements included or if you notice any inaccuracies on our site. We strive to provide our viewers the most up to date and accurate information as possible.

Nevada Catholic Church Clergy Credibly Accused Lists

The Diocese of Las Vegas and Diocese of Reno have released the following list of priests, deemed to have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor according to their websites.

Diocese of Las Vegas and Dioceses of Reno Credibly Accused Priest List

Click to view our larger list of accused priests. Here you can search by accused clergy first and last name, Parish/Diocese, city and state, and even by the years of their assignments.

Nevada Sexual Abuse Lawsuits: News & Updates