Article 21: Special Proceedings and Actions · Last amended 2015 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceThis section gives a trafficking victim ten years to file a civil action under the Human Trafficking Victims Civil Remedy Act, starting from the latest of four possible triggers, including the end of a related prosecution, law enforcement notice identifying the responsible person, or the victim reaching adulthood.
Full Text of § 25-21,300
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Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any action to recover damages under the Human Trafficking Victims Civil Remedy Act shall be filed within ten years after the later of:
(1) The conclusion of any related criminal prosecution against the person or persons from whom recovery is sought;
(2) The receipt of actual or constructive notice sent or given to the trafficking victim or his or her parent or legal guardian by a member of a law enforcement entity informing the victim or his or her parent or legal guardian that the entity has identified the person who knowingly (a) engaged in human trafficking of such victim or (b) aided or assisted with the human trafficking of such victim;
(3) The time at which the human trafficking of the trafficking victim ended if he or she was eighteen years of age or older; or
(4) The victim reaching the age of majority if the victim was under eighteen years of age at the time he or she was a victim of human trafficking.
Source
Laws 2015, LB294, § 4.
Plain-English Summary
Section 25-21,300 sets a ten-year limitation period for civil actions under the Human Trafficking Victims Civil Remedy Act — considerably longer than the three years given to claims under the Exploited Children’s Civil Remedy Act — and measures it from whichever of four triggering events occurs last.
The ten-year clock starts from the latest of: the conclusion of any related criminal prosecution against the person or persons from whom recovery is sought; the trafficking victim, or a parent or legal guardian, receiving actual or constructive notice from a law enforcement entity identifying the person who knowingly engaged in or aided or assisted with the trafficking; the point at which the trafficking of the victim ended, if the victim was eighteen or older at that time; or the victim reaching the age of majority, if the victim was under eighteen at the time of the trafficking. By running from the latest of these markers, the statute accounts for trafficking that a victim may not recognize, or be free to act on, until well after it ends.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a trafficking victim have to file a civil action?
Ten years, measured from the latest of four specific triggering events.
What are the four events that can start the ten-year clock?
The conclusion of a related criminal prosecution; receipt of law enforcement notice identifying the responsible person; the end of the trafficking if the victim was then eighteen or older; or the victim reaching the age of majority if under eighteen at the time of the trafficking.
Does the ten-year period run from the earliest or latest of those events?
The latest. The statute measures ten years from whichever of the four triggers occurs last.
How does this deadline differ from the one under the Exploited Children’s Civil Remedy Act?
It is longer — ten years rather than three — and it adds a fourth trigger tied to when the trafficking itself ended for an adult victim.
What if the victim was a minor at the time of the trafficking?
The relevant trigger is the victim reaching the age of majority, so the ten-year period does not begin to run until then.
Source & verification. Section text and the amendment-history citation are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Legislature, Revisor of Statutes, enacted by the
Nebraska Legislature. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
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