I recently interviewed professor and scholar, Marci A. Hamilton of the University of Pennsylvania who has written extensively on issues of child sex abuse, and expanding the statutes of limitations to provide survivors more time to get justice for the sex-based crimes against them. Traditionally statutes have been relatively short, and when child victims become adults and recognize the harms done them - recourse by means of justice is often out of reach.
E. Jean Carroll Gains Notoriety in NY and Around the World
Only recently in the E. Jean Carroll case, we saw an adult survivor of abuse decades prior, get her case in front of a jury. That is because New York had opened a window in their statute of limitations for reporting sex-based abuses - enabling survivors to come forward.
According to Professor Hamilton, Carroll got her claim in during the open statutory window created by the New York legislature. However, most of those windows have closed, including the New York Child Victims Act, and the Adult Survivors Act, leaving only the Gender-Motivated Violence Act open and available to survivors - but only for those having taken place in New York City.
Lobbying for Broader Statutes of Limitations
Advocates for abused women and girls hope that other legislatures around the country will in respond similarly as New York state - opening the statutes of limitations for sex-based offenses. Since the Epstein files came to light, what has surfaced appears to be an epidemic of sex trafficking and gender-based violence, making it imperative there be an open the window for survivors to report and seek justice.
Notably, all these acts are civil statutes that would provide civil remedies if adopted. According to Professor Hamilton, criminal statutes remain closed.
Institutional Betrayal and DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender)
Victims feel betrayed by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) - for not investigating those named in the Epstein files and prosecuting them. Even worse in the recent judiciary hearing, AG Bondi would not even look at the survivors when asked by Rep. Jayapal, nor did she agree to speak to survivors about investigating their ordeal. Instead, she lashed out at lawmakers trying to get to the bottom of the Epstein scandal, trying to reverse roles of those who really suffered as victims of trafficking. In an extremely candid assessment, Professor Hamilton draws parallels between an apparent “coverup” by the DOJ and what has happened in numerous clergy sex abuse cases.
On the Federal Level
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Schumer of New York along with Congresswoman Teresa Ledger Fernandez of New Mexico have introduced a Bill entitled “Virginia’s Law,” named after the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre. The goal of this Bill is to expand statutes of limitation for survivors of sexual abuse and human trafficking on the federal level - allowing survivors the time they need to reconcile their fate and come forward.
International Accountability
Other nations are holding accountable those suspected of wrongdoing or named in the Epstein files, some even resigning their positions. Those nations, along with the UN Panel are speaking out on the need for investigations of these exploitations - crimes against women and girls.
Yet, the question remains - When will US victim/survivors get accountability? While millions of files are still not produced by the DOJ; while survivors in the US are still not being interviewed to learn the genesis and the extent of Epstein and others’ crimes against them - it would appear this DOJ has something to hide.
The American public and the world wants answers. They also want accountability. The question is, What will it take for US lawmakers to get ALL the files - that is, if they have not already been destroyed…
Notes:
UN Panel States Says Epstein Abuses May Constitute ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/18/un-panel-says-epstein-abuses-may-constitute-crimes-against
UN: Epstein files: ‘No one is too wealthy or too powerful to be above the law’; rights experts demand accountability https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/02/1166980
Sen. Schumer and Rep. Leger Fernandez Introduce Bill Removing Statute of Limitation for Sex Trafficking Charges https://www.c-span.org/program/news-conference/sen-schumer-and-rep-leger-fernandez-introduce-bill-removing-statute-of-limitation-for-sex-trafficking-charges/673208
NYC Council Approves Legislation to Create Legal Framework for City’s Gender-Motivated Violence Survivors to Seek Accountability https://council.nyc.gov/press/2025/11/25/3012/
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Mary Kay Elloian, MBA, JD, Esq. - The Legal Edition® - Legal, Business & Policy News - TheLegalEdition.com - All Rights Reserved.
