HB1479: HB1479 Civil practice; certain alleged acts by clergy members; extend statute of limitations

Under current Georgia law, lawsuits over sexual assault or abuse generally must be filed within a set number of years after the alleged conduct or after the victim discovers the harm. This bill, titled 'Hayle's Law,' creates a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33.2) specifically covering sexual assault, sexual battery, or improper sexual conduct by a clergy member, including conduct arising out of pastoral counseling or a spiritual authority relationship, when the victim was 18 or older at the time. It lets adult victims sue within 15 years of the alleged conduct, or within 5 years of when they knew or should have known the abuse caused them injury, whichever is later. It also lets victims sue the church or organization that employed or supervised the clergy member for things like negligent hiring or supervision. Claims that would already be time-barred as of June 30, 2026 could still be filed within two years starting July 1, 2026.

• Creates a new statute of limitations (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33.2) specifically for sexual assault, battery, or improper sexual conduct by clergy members against adult victims.
• Sets the deadline to sue as the later of 15 years after the alleged conduct or 5 years after the victim discovers the injury from it.
• Requires courts to make a pretrial finding within six months about when the alleged abuse was discovered, in cases relying on the discovery-based deadline.
• Allows victims to also sue the church, ministry, or other entity connected to the clergy member for negligent hiring, supervision, retention, failure to warn, or concealment.
• Revives certain claims that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations, letting them be filed within two years starting July 1, 2026.
• Names the Act 'Hayle's Law' as its official short title.

Adults who say they were sexually abused by a clergy member, including pastors, priests, rabbis, imams, or others acting as spiritual leaders or counselors; religious organizations and other entities that employed or supervised those clergy members; and Georgia courts handling these civil lawsuits.

Some abuse survivors do not come forward for years, and Georgia's current time limits can bar their claims before they act. This bill would give adult survivors of clergy sexual abuse a longer window to sue, and would let some already-expired claims be revived for two years, potentially exposing religious organizations to new lawsuits.

• Section 1 gives the Act the short title 'Hayle's Law.'
• Section 2 adds O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33.2, defining 'clergy member,' 'entity,' and 'pastoral counseling or spiritual authority relationship.'
• Subsection (b) sets the filing deadline as the later of 15 years from the conduct or 5 years from discovery of injury, for adult plaintiffs.
• Subsection (b)(2) requires a pretrial evidentiary finding on when discovery occurred, to be issued within six months of filing.
• Subsection (c) allows plaintiffs to also sue an entity connected to the clergy member for negligent hiring, supervision, retention, failure to warn, or concealment.
• Subsection (d) revives claims barred solely by the statute of limitations as of June 30, 2026, allowing them to be filed within two years of July 1, 2026.
• Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-03-04House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-03-03House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-26House Hopper (House)

• Gabriel Sanchez (D, HD-042)Primary sponsor
• Stacey Evans (D, HD-057)
• Lisa Campbell (D, HD-035)
• Scott Holcomb (D, HD-101)
• Mary Ann Santos (D, HD-117)
• Tanya Miller (D, HD-062)

• clergy sexual abuse
• statute of limitations
• civil lawsuits
• religious organizations
• sexual assault survivors