As a film crew shot scenes of a legal drama on the steps of the New York County Courthouse, women who survived sexual assault held a news conference across the street demanding swift passage of a new law allowing victims to sue their abusers in cases where the statute of limitations has expired.

"Because our criminal justice system still so often fails victims of sexual violence," said Ariel Zwang CEO of Safe Horizon, which provides services to victims of crime and abuse. 

The proposed Adult Survivors Act, or ASA, would give adult victims one year -- a period called the "look-back" window -- to file lawsuits for abuse that occurred years ago. It's similar to the Child Victims Act that took effect last June. That act opened a one-year window for people who claimed they were sexually victimized as children so they could sue their alleged abusers. 

"The window has created a path to justice and some measure of healing. And it has also revealed predators hiding in plain sight," said Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, who represents the Upper West Side of Manhattan. 

Model and actress Amber Battilana-Guttierez, whose reported recording of Harvey Weinstein admitting he assaulted her in 2015 helped to fuel the MeToo movement, says the proposed Adult Survivors Act has the potential to give her the justice that the Manhattan district attorney's office did not, after prosecutors would not press her case.  She says the law would also give women who fail to make sexual assault allegations as quickly as she did another option. 

"It can take years for survivors to grapple with their abuse. Existing laws fail us by ignoring this fact," said Battilana-Guttierez. 

Accusers of former Manhattan obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Robert Hadden also threw their support behind the bill. Hadden lost his medical license, but did not go to jail. Evelyn Yang, the wife of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, said the ASA would give marginalized women a louder voice. She said during her husband's campaign that Hadden abused her.

"It shouldn't take your husband running for president to be heard", Yang said.  

State Senator Brad Hoylman introduced the ASA last fall. He says the 1600 claims filed under the Child Victims Act give him optimism the bill will pass.

"We think it's working extremely well//there are no examples of false claims, for example," Hoylman said. 

New Jersey already passed similar legislation. State Senator Hoylman says the bill is winding its way through committee and he expects to hold hearings soon.