U.S. Democrats will introduce ‘Virginia’s law’ to Congress, a bill to end the statute of limitations on sexual assault claims in civil courts.
It would allow victim-survivors to sue alleged perpetrators regardless of how much time has passed since the abuse.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the bill alongside family members of alleged victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including the late Virginia Giuffre.
Giuffre accused Epstein and the former Duke of York, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, of sexually assaulting her when she was a minor.
Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein was a well-known American hedge fund manager and a convicted sex offender.
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty in a controversial deal to charges related to child sex trafficking. He served 13 months in jail.
In 2019, police arrested him again on new federal sex trafficking charges. Epstein was denied bail and died in his jail cell while awaiting trial.
He was known to be friends with an array of high-profile politicians, celebrities, and the wealthy.
Virginia Giuffre
Giuffre spoke out about allegedtrafficking and sexual assault experienced at the hands of Epstein when she was a teenager.
In 2015, Giuffre brought adefamation case against Epstein’sformer partner and fellow convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. It was settled outside of court.
In 2022, then-Prince Andrew settled a lawsuit with Giuffre over claims Epstein trafficked and forced her to engage in sexual activity while she was underage.
Andrew denies any wrongdoing.
In April 2025, Giuffre was found dead on her property 20km north of Perth. Police determined she died by suicide, aged 41.
Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, published in October, detailed herexperiences with Epstein, Maxwell, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
This included alleged “orgies” with Epstein, Mountbatten-Windsor and other girls, as well as “torture” and assault.
Giuffre alleged she had sex with Mountbatten-Windsor on three separate occasions.
In a 2019 BBC interview, he said:“I have no recollection of meeting her.”
Virginia’s law
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On Tuesday (local time), Democrat Senator Schumer announced that he would bring ‘Virginia’s law’ –named in honour of Giuffre – to Congress.
The bill would eliminate the statute of limitations for federal civil sexual abuse cases.
A statute of limitations sets a deadline for taking legal action.
It means victims only have a certain amount of time to report a crime or file a lawsuit against their perpetrator, even if an offence was committed.
In the U.S, different states have different time limits on civil sexual assault cases, often dependent on the age of the victim.
For example, in Texas, the statute of limitations is five years for adult victims. For child victims, the statute is 30 years after they turn 18.
‘Virginia’s law’ would erase the statute of limitations for adults and minors in federal cases.
Schumer held a press conference, surrounded by the family members of alleged Epstein victims, including Giuffre’s brother Andrew Roberts.
Announcing the bill, Schumer said: “Our law makes clear that abusers and those that enabled them cannot escape responsibility by running out the clock ... time does not erase harm.”
Roberts began his speech saying: “Today, we give Virginia her voice back.”
“Survivors deserve justice, not expiration dates,” he added.
What’s next?
The Republican Party holds a majority in the Senate and House of Representatives (known as the House).
As Schumer is a Democrat, the bill would need support from Republican lawmakers to pass.
In November, Republicans and Democrats voted in support of measures to release the Epstein files, triggering the publication of millions of documents.
Considering this history, the lawcould receive bipartisan support.
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