Can I sue my father for years of abuse if I'm now an adult?
Question Details: 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?
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.
