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Sexual Assault JusticeCivil claims by Gilbert McGloan Gillis

Sexual assault lawyers · Fredericton & Saint John · New Brunswick

You can sue for sexual assault in New Brunswick, no matter how long ago it happened.

New Brunswick has no time limit on civil claims for sexual assault. It does not matter whether it happened last year or forty years ago, or whether anyone was ever charged. Our lawyers will tell you where you stand, quietly and at no cost.

Find out if you have a claimCall 1-888-2GMGLAW
Free case reviewYou are in controlConfidentialWe act only for survivorsNo fee unless we win

Time limits

Is there a time limit to sue for sexual assault in New Brunswick? No.

Most lawsuits must be started within two years. Sexual assault is an exception, and that includes historical sexual abuse and childhood sexual abuse from decades ago.

Assented to June 12, 2026

Claims that had already expired were brought back.

The 2026 amendment applies to assaults from before or after the change, even if an earlier deadline had run out. It also revives claims a court dismissed only because they were filed too late.

An Act to Amend the Limitation of Actions Act, SNB 2026, c 4, s 14.1(2) and (3)

Settled or dismissed before

Already settled, or turned down by a court?

A claim that was settled, or finally dismissed by a court for a reason other than being late, is treated differently. That doesn't always close the door. We check it for you during the case review.

Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island

Outside New Brunswick? You may still have a claim.

Nova Scotia has also removed the time limit on civil claims for sexual assault, and Prince Edward Island has changed its rules too. We take some cases from both provinces ourselves, and refer others to trusted local lawyers we work with. Either way, we'll tell you which rules apply.

Nova Scotia Limitation of Actions Act, SNS 2014, c 35

Justice used to have an expiry date.
Now it doesn't.

Until 2010, survivors in New Brunswick had a deadline to seek justice in court. The province removed it. Today you can bring a claim whenever you are ready, no matter what year the assault happened.

Limitation of Actions Act, SNB 2009, c L-8.5, s 14.1(1)(a)

Do you have a claim?

Can I sue the person who sexually assaulted me? If any of this happened to you, it is worth twenty minutes to find out.

A civil sexual assault claim covers any sexual contact you did not agree to. It does not have to match what you think a court expects.

Someone touched you sexually without your consent

You were sexually abused as a child or a teenager

It happened while you were asleep, drunk, drugged or otherwise unable to agree

The person had power over you: an employer, coach, teacher, clergy member, doctor or caregiver

It was a spouse, partner or someone you were dating

It was a relative or a family friend

You agreed only because of threats, pressure or fear of what would happen if you refused

It happened at a workplace, school, church, team or institution that should have protected you

Institutional sexual abuse

When a church, school, team or employer let it happen, they can be held responsible too.

Organizations can be liable for abuse by the people they put in charge, and for failing to stop it. That often matters for who can be made to pay.

Church and clergy abuse

Priests, ministers, youth leaders and volunteers, and the dioceses and congregations responsible for them.

School sexual abuse

Teachers, staff, bus drivers and residential programs, including abuse at private and boarding schools.

Coach and sports abuse

Coaches, trainers and team staff, along with the clubs and associations that hired or kept them.

Workplace sexual assault

Assault by a supervisor, co-worker or client, where the employer knew or should have known.

Doctors and care providers

Physicians, therapists, nurses and caregivers who used their position of trust.

Foster care and group homes

Abuse while in care, by foster parents, staff or others the system placed you with.

An empty school hallway in soft morning light. One green locker hangs open with a grey hoodie still inside, and two sheets of paper, one crumpled, lie on the floor beside it.

Were you part of a class action or an earlier settlement? You may still have options. Tell us about it in the case review and we will check.

What people tell us first

Four reasons people assume they cannot sue for sexual assault.

“It was too long ago.”

It is not. There is no limitation period for a sexual assault claim in New Brunswick, and the law now says so for assaults from any year.

“The police never charged anyone.”

That does not decide it. A civil lawsuit for sexual assault is separate from the criminal process. You can sue if no one was charged, if charges were dropped, or if there was an acquittal.

“I don’t want my name out there.”

There are protections to ask for. We can ask the court to let you proceed under initials or a pseudonym, and many claims resolve without a trial. We explain what is realistic before anything is filed.

“They have nothing to take.”

Worth checking. Property, pensions and estates are not always where people assume. An employer, school or organization that allowed it to happen may also be responsible.

Unsure if you were a victim of sexual assault? Find out where you stand.

Answer a few questions about what happened and how to reach you safely. A sexual assault lawyer at Gilbert McGloan Gillis reads it and tells you plainly whether you have a case, including when you don't.

  • Twenty minutes
  • Free, with no obligation
  • You decide what happens next

Sexual assault compensation

What a sexual assault lawsuit can recover.

Every claim is valued on its own facts. These are the kinds of damages a court can award, and what a settlement is measured against.

Pain and suffering

Damages for the assault itself and for what it has done to your life since.

Treatment costs

Counselling, therapy and medical care, both what you have paid and what you will need.

Lost income

Schooling that was cut short, work you could not do, a career that stalled.

Aggravated and punitive damages

Extra damages a court can award where the conduct was especially harmful or a breach of trust.

How to sue for sexual assault

Three steps. Nothing happens without your say-so.

1

Free, confidential case review

Twenty minutes, by phone or at our Fredericton or Saint John office. You tell us as much as you want to. We tell you whether there is a claim.

2

Your options, in writing

What we would claim, who we would claim against, how long it is likely to take and what it involves for you. Nothing is filed until you say go.

3

We take it from there

Filings, deadlines, the other side's lawyer and court. You hear from us in plain language, in the ways you choose.

Fees. The case review is free. If we take your case, you pay nothing up front and nothing at all unless we recover money for you.

Where we work

Sexual assault lawyers in Fredericton and Saint John, serving New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI.

Office

Sexual assault lawyer in Fredericton

82 Westmorland Street
Fredericton, NB E3B 3L3

Serving Fredericton, Oromocto, Woodstock and the upper Saint John River valley.

Office

Sexual assault lawyer in Saint John

107 Charlotte Street, Trinity Business Centre
Saint John, NB E2L 2J2

Serving Saint John, Rothesay, Quispamsis, Sussex and Charlotte County.

By phone or video

Anywhere in the Maritimes

Your case review can be done by phone, so you never have to travel to start.

1-888-2GMGLAW

Who represents you

Gilbert McGloan Gillis. New Brunswick, since 1929.

Your case review is read by a lawyer at the firm, not a call centre. We act only for survivors: we never represent people accused of sexual assault, abuse or domestic violence. And we appear in the same New Brunswick courts your claim would be heard in.

Was the person your partner or spouse? You may also have a claim for intimate partner violence, including coercive control. See IPV Justice, our sister site.

Gilbert McGloan Gillisgmglaw.com
97 years
representing New Brunswickers
Trauma-informed
one lawyer, one account. You are never asked to relive detail we don't need.
Local
offices in Fredericton and Saint John, appearing in New Brunswick courts, expertise built in the Maritimes

Free, confidential consultation

Ask a sexual assault lawyer to call you back.

A few lines is enough to start. Tell us how to reach you safely and a lawyer at Gilbert McGloan Gillis will get in touch, only in the ways you mark safe.

  • The person who hurt you is never contacted until you are ready to proceed.
  • We act only for survivors. We never represent anyone accused of sexual assault, abuse or domestic violence.
  • Use an alias if you'd rather. You don't need your real name to ask.
  • Free and confidential. Sending this doesn't commit you to anything.
  • Prefer to call? 1-888-2GMGLAW or (506) 634-3600.
It doesn't have to be your real name.
A number only you answer.

Safe to leave a voicemail?

We need a phone number or an email, at least one.
A few sentences is plenty. The details can wait.

Want to tell us more first? Start the full case review, three short steps, still no obligation.

We reply only in the ways you marked safe. Submitting this form does not create a solicitor-client relationship, and information sent through it is not privileged until a retainer is in place. Every submission is treated as confidential.

Find out where you stand

Three short steps. No cost, no obligation, and no one is contacted but you.

Step 1 of 3 — What happened

A few sentences is plenty. The details can wait.

We reply only in the ways you marked safe. Submitting this form does not create a solicitor-client relationship, and information sent through it is not privileged until a retainer is in place. Every submission is treated as confidential.