When time becomes a barrier to justice for Michigan survivors

Two Michigan institutions, Interlochen Center for the Arts and the University of Michigan hockey program, face fresh allegations of decades-old sexual abuse, including a lawsuit from 16 former hockey players who say abuse was normalized as hazing between 1984 and 2001.

The authors, a Nassar survivor and a longtime attorney for abuse survivors, argue Michigan's statute of limitations often expires before survivors are ready to come forward. They point to the Justice for Survivors package, which would raise the civil filing age limit to 48, remove time limits after a criminal conviction, and open a one-year window to revive expired claims.

The piece frames the legislation as a matter of aligning law with how trauma actually unfolds, rather than a guaranteed remedy: not everyone will pursue a civil claim, and passage remains a decision for state lawmakers.

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