Executive Summary
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced “Virginia’s Law” to remove the statute of limitations for federal sex abuse civil claims.
- The current federal statute limits adult survivors to filing claims within 10 years of the abuse.
- The bill is named after Virginia Giuffre, a survivor and accuser of Jeffrey Epstein.
- Advocates argue the bill accounts for the time required for trauma survivors to seek justice.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, joined by survivors and advocates at the Willow Domestic Violence Center on Monday, announced the introduction of “Virginia’s Law,” a federal bill designed to eliminate the statute of limitations for civil claims involving sexual abuse and human trafficking.
Named in honor of Virginia Giuffre, a prominent accuser of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, the proposed legislation seeks to remove existing procedural barriers for victims seeking legal redress. Under current federal law, adult survivors are generally restricted to a 10-year window from the time of the abuse to file a federal civil claim. Schumer argued that these restrictions fail to account for the complex nature of trauma and the time often required for survivors to process their experiences before seeking justice.
“Today I’m announcing Virginia’s law, new legislation that will end statute of limitation barriers that have kept survivors from justice for far too long,” Schumer stated during the press conference. “Because justice should never expire.” He noted that many survivors of Epstein’s alleged abuse were silenced or dismissed for years, only to be told later that their window for legal recourse had closed.
Melanie Blow, a survivor and board vice president of the Rochester Regional Coalition Against Human Trafficking, highlighted the practical challenges victims face. “It does take trafficking survivors, whether they were trafficked as minors or adults, many, many years to be able to talk about this, to get their life into a situation where they want to press charges,” Blow said. Meaghan de Chateauvieux, president and CEO of the Willow Domestic Violence Center, added that the bill “shifts the balance of power away from procedural protection for abusers and back toward dignity, agency, and survivors’ choice.”
Legislative Implications and Civil Procedures
The introduction of Virginia’s Law represents a potential pivot in federal tort law, aligning federal statutes with a growing number of state-level “lookback window” acts that have extended limitations for sex abuse claims. By targeting the statute of limitations, the legislation addresses a primary defense strategy often utilized in civil litigation regarding historical abuse. If passed, this measure would likely increase the volume of civil filings in federal courts, requiring the judiciary to adjudicate allegations that may date back decades. This reflects a broader legislative trend prioritizing victim restitution over the legal finality traditionally provided by statutes of limitations.
It is important to note that all individuals accused of crimes or civil offenses are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
