Epstein survivors and Democrats introduce 'Virginia's Law' to remove time limits for sex crime victims to sue abusers
Congressional Democrats are seeking to abolish the statute of limitations on civil claims for sex abuse
Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Democrats have introduced legislation to scrap time limits for victims of sexual abuse to sue perpetrators.
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Democrats in the US Congress have introduced "Virginia's Law", named for the late Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, alongside victims of the paedophile financier.
The proposed legislation would eliminate the statute of limitations for adult victims of abuse to bring civil action against abusers.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez announced the Bill, which would expand the legal options available to victims of sex crimes.
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Many prominent abusers, including Epstein, were shielded from accountability by the statute, which sets a time within which action must be brought.
Civil statutes of limitations vary by crime and by the US state in which the action is brought.
Claims cannot be made outside the timeframe the statute of limitations specifies.
Despite the promise to "eliminate statute of limitations barriers", the way in which the proposed law would do this is currently unclear.
The Bill's fate in Congress, which is controlled by Republicans, is unclear, but other bipartisan efforts related to Epstein's crimes have seen success in both chambers.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which compelled the release of swathes of material relating to the dead sex trafficker, passed nearly unanimously last year after being brought by Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna.
Virginia Giuffre's brother spoke at the announcement.
A teary-eyed Sky Roberts told reporters: "Virginia's dream was to inspire and empower survivors to come forward in a world that too often turns away from abuse and pushes it into the shadows. She wanted to bring light."
Ms Giuffre took her own life last year in Australia, aged 41.
Mr Roberts also used the platform to call for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to testify in front of the House Oversight Committee in Washington DC.
Ms Giuffre accused Mr Mountbatten-Windsor of having sex with her after she was trafficked to him by Epstein.
Andrew has always denied Ms Giuffre's allegations.
"I think he should show up in front of our Congress," Roberts responded, adding, "He has a lot of questions he needs to answer."
The House Oversight Committee interviewed Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, virtually on Monday in a private deposition.
Maxwell, who was found guilty in 2021, refused to answer questions amid demands that she receive a pardon from President Donald Trump.