Statute of Limitations for Child Sexual Abuse (civil) in Massachusetts

6 min read

Published September 11, 2025 • Updated March 22, 2026 • By DocketMath Team

Partially verified

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Open the live calculator View on primary source

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change frequently — verify all citations with current official sources.

Step-by-step deadline check

For a US-MA Child Sexual Abuse (civil) limitations check, use the verified limitations period from the current rule packet: 3 years. The authority packet cites Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A (https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleV/Chapter260/Section2A).

Example inputs:

Accrual date: 2024-04-25
Filing date checked: 2026-04-25

Calculation:

Start with the accrual date.
Add 3 years.
The example deadline is 2027-04-25.

This example is generated from the verified facts packet rather than freeform prose. Confirm tolling, discovery rules, and claim-specific exceptions before relying on the date.

Limitation period

General civil SOL: 6 years

Massachusetts’ default civil SOL period for many personal injury and related tort claims is 6 years, under:

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 277, § 63

In practical terms, that means a lawsuit must usually be filed within 6 years of the date the claim accrues (i.e., when the legal basis for the claim exists). For many cases, that accrual is tied to the date of the wrongful conduct or the time when the injury is reasonably connected to the conduct.

Step-by-step deadline check

Example inputs:

Accrual date: 2024-04-25
Filing date checked: 2026-04-25

Calculation:

Start with the accrual date.
Add 3 years.
The example deadline is 2027-04-25.

This example is generated from the verified facts packet rather than freeform prose. Confirm tolling, discovery rules, and claim-specific exceptions before relying on the date.

Worked example

Example inputs:

Accrual date: 2024-04-25
Filing date checked: 2026-04-25

Calculation:

Start with the accrual date.
Add 3 years.
The example deadline is 2027-04-25.

This example is generated from the verified facts packet rather than freeform prose. Confirm tolling, discovery rules, and claim-specific exceptions before relying on the date.

Key exceptions

Massachusetts has several ways the SOL “clock” can be affected, especially in cases involving minors or other legal circumstances. However, the exact application of exceptions is fact- and claim-specific, and Massachusetts law can treat accrual and tolling differently across legal theories.

Below are the categories to consider when your case involves a child, a discovery question, or a special legal status.

1) Tolling (delays in starting or counting time)

Tolling can operate to pause the limitations clock or allow a later start date in certain circumstances. This is especially relevant in cases where the claimant is a minor or when legal rules delay accrual.

How to use this practically:

If your situation involves a minor at the time of abuse or a delay related to legal capacity or accrual, run the calculator using the best-supported start date you have, and compare outcomes.
If you have multiple plausible accrual dates, compute more than one to see the deadline range.

Worked example

Example inputs:

Accrual date: 2024-04-25
Filing date checked: 2026-04-25

Calculation:

Start with the accrual date.
Add 3 years.
The example deadline is 2027-04-25.

This example is generated from the verified facts packet rather than freeform prose. Confirm tolling, discovery rules, and claim-specific exceptions before relying on the date.

Step-by-step deadline check

Example inputs:

Accrual date: 2024-04-25
Filing date checked: 2026-04-25

Calculation:

Start with the accrual date.
Add 3 years.
The example deadline is 2027-04-25.

This example is generated from the verified facts packet rather than freeform prose. Confirm tolling, discovery rules, and claim-specific exceptions before relying on the date.

Statute citation

The general civil statute of limitations period referenced by the jurisdiction data is:

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 277, § 63 (general SOL period: 6 years)

This is the default framework used for the calculations described on this page. The provided jurisdiction data does not identify a separate child-sexual-abuse-specific civil SOL sub-rule; accordingly, the content above uses the general/default period.

Use the calculator

DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations tool helps you convert the 6-year general SOL into a practical deadline: /tools/statute-of-limitations

What to enter

While the exact input fields can vary based on the calculator configuration, the essential inputs typically include:

SOL start date (the date you treat as when the claim accrued under the applicable general approach)
SOL length (here, you’ll be working with 6 years based on Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 277, § 63)
Optional target filing date (if the calculator supports it) so you can compare “file by” vs. “filed on”

How output changes as you adjust inputs

Use the calculator iteratively:

Change the SOL start date → the computed “last filing date” shifts by the same amount (because the length is fixed at 6 years).
Re-run with an alternative accrual date → you’ll see how much your deadline could change based on different factual/legal assumptions about accrual.

Quick workflow checklist

Primary CTA: /tools/statute-of-limitations

Sources and references

Start with the primary authority for Massachusetts and confirm the effective date before relying on any output. If the rule has been amended, update the inputs and rerun the calculation.

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2

Step-by-step deadline check

Limitation period

General civil SOL: 6 years

Step-by-step deadline check

Worked example

Key exceptions

1) Tolling (delays in starting or counting time)

Worked example

Step-by-step deadline check

Statute citation

Use the calculator

What to enter

How output changes as you adjust inputs

Quick workflow checklist

Sources and references

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