Leader Schumer & Rep. Leger Fernández Unveil “Virginia’s Law” — Landmark Legislation To End Statute-Of-Limitations Barriers That Let Abusers Escape And Denied Survivors Justice

Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM), Chair of the House Democratic Women’s Caucus, introduced Virginia’s Law — landmark legislation to eliminate the statute of limitations that has shielded traffickers and denied survivors their day in court.

Today, after standing with Jeffrey Epstein survivors, advocates, and the family of Virginia Giuffre, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) introduced Virginia’s law, landmark legislation designed to eliminate the statute of limitations that protected criminals like Jeffrey Epstein.

“Jeffrey Epstein depended on silence and fear, on a system that protected power instead of protecting people. Today we are saying no more. This bill carries Virginia Giuffre's name because she spoke when so many were told not to,” said Leader Schumer. “No survivor should ever be told again that the law failed them, and that time mattered more than truth. The survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have waited long enough. Virginia waited long enough. The time for justice is now, and Congress must act.”

“Time should never be a weapon in an abuser’s arsenal,” said Representative Leger Fernández. “For too long, sexual predators have hidden behind their wealth, their power, and the clock — counting on survivors to stay silent and statutes of limitations to protect them. Virginia’s Law makes clear: if you committed these crimes, you don’t get to run out the clock. Justice should not depend on a calendar. It should not depend on geography. And it should never depend on how powerful your abuser is.”

Currently, federal law allows a federal claim to proceed by a victim if it is brought within 10 years of the abuse. Virginia’s Law removes the statute of limitations for adult survivors to hold their abusers accountable at a time that is right for the survivor – when they are strong and mentally healthy to be able to face the significant challenges of civil litigation. The bill also creates new causes of action to ensure survivors can bring additional claims against abusers.

Leader Schumer has long been an advocate for justice for Epstein survivors. Since 2019, Schumer has called for the release of the Epstein files. After Epstein’s sweetheart plea deal, Senator Schumer called for the Office of Professional Responsibility to stop stonewalling and make the documentation public, adding he wanted the Senate to have hearings on the matter. More recently, in July, Leader Schumer, Senator Peters and Democratic committee colleagues pushed the DOJ to turn over the Epstein files by citing their authority under a little known statute, the Rule of Five. And in September, Senator Schumer offered an amendment to the NDAA that would have directed AG Bondi to release all unclassified documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. 51 Republican Senators voted against it.

The text of the legislation can be seen here.

Leader Schumer’s press conference can be viewed here and a transcript of his remarks are below.

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Leader Schumer: Well, I want to begin, of course, by recognizing the Epstein survivors who are here today. Virginia Giuffre's family, who traveled here because they believe, as I do, that what happened to Virginia and to all the victims here today and throughout the world must finally lead to change. And all you have to do is look at the faces of these beautiful women and just have total, total empathy for what they've gone through, admiration for their courage, and anger about what happened to them. So, thank you.

Today we're here to do something simple and long overdue. Today I'm introducing Virginia's law, legislation to end statute of limitation barriers that have kept survivors of sexual violence from justice far too long and to create new legal avenues to pursue justice. Because justice should not expire. Justice should not expire. And because for survivors, healing does not run on a government clock. I'm also so proud to be joined by Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, not just Chairwoman of the Democratic Women's Caucus, but she's always been a fierce advocate for survivors and a partner in this fight. She's a champion and a fighter, and that's what a bill like this requires, a fighter who will relentlessly push for the cause of justice. Justice. That's what we demand, justice. And here is World Without Exploitation’s Sigrid McCawley, whose work along with the survivors helped shape this legislation. We thank her.

The bill exists. Why? Why does the bill exist? Because people refuse to accept silence as the end of the story. It's that simple. It cannot be when something this dastardly and this terrible and this heart-wrenching happens. For years, survivors of Epstein's abuse were ignored. They were doubted. They were silenced. They were dismissed. And even when the truth finally came out, even when the world finally listened, too many survivors were still told by the law, “it's too late, your justice has expired.” Not because the harm wasn't real, not because the abuse didn't happen, but because the system ran out the clock. When they were told, “it's too late, your justice has expired,” we aim to change that. That's what we're trying to do today. When you say the system ran out the clock, tough rocks, too bad, too late. That's not justice. That's a system that protects abusers by waiting survivors out.

Our law, Virginia's law, changes that. It allows survivors to seek accountability when they're ready. When they're strong enough, supported enough, able to face the weight of civil litigation. Sometimes it takes years to recuperate from the horror that occurred. Why should the government say, well, we're setting an arbitrary time when you are able to pursue your case? Our law makes clear that abusers, and those that enabled them, cannot escape responsibility by running out the clock. It makes clear that the law will empower survivors to pursue justice, and it recognizes something survivors have always known—time does not erase harm. Time does not erase harm.

Jeffrey Epstein depended on silence and fear, on a system that protected power instead of protecting people. Today we are saying no more. This bill carries Virginia Giuffre's name because she spoke when so many were told not to, and because her story, and the story of the survivors standing here today, and we salute you again, all of you. So, no survivor should ever be told again that the law failed them, and that time mattered more than truth. The survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have waited long enough. Virginia waited long enough. The time for justice is now, and Congress must act.

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