Jeffrey Epstein Accusers Eligible to File Lawsuits under New York’s New Child Victims Act

By Stephen Rex Brown
Daily News
July 9, 2019

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-epstein-child-victims-act-20190709-fq43rsd2q5fqhgkyvsm2z37hu4-story.html

Jeffrey Epstein in 2004. (Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images)

Women who accuse Jeffrey Epstein of abusing them as minors can soon sue him under a new state law that will be used to compensate victims of sex abuse by priests.

Alleged Epstein victims are eligible under the Child Victims Act to bring civil claims against the perv financier for one year starting mid-August.

The feds said Epstein abused girls as young as 14 between 2002 and 2005, meaning his alleged victims are likely now in their late 20s or older.

Safe Horizon, which advocated for the act for over 10 years, said it was planning a larger awareness campaign next month, when the window for claims opens.

“The CVA at its heart is about increasing avenues to justice for survivors of childhood sexual abuse in New York State. This applies whether survivors were abused by clergy, by teachers, by coaches, or by billionaires," Safe Horizon Vice President Michael Polenberg said.

"While we are pleased that the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District is bringing new charges forward, we recognize that some survivors may also choose to file civil claims against Mr. Epstein for the heinous crimes he is being charged with committing. Thanks to the Child Victims Act, this option — long denied to survivors over the age of the 23 — is now available.”

The Daily News advocated for the act, which reformed the statute of limitations for cases of child sexual abuse. Gov. Cuomo signed it into law in February.

Epstein pleaded not guilty on Monday to sex trafficking charges. He argued that his alleged conduct was covered by a controversial non-prosecution agreement he signed with federal prosecutors in Florida in 2007.

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Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman asked for any Epstein victims to contact the FBI.

“While the charged conduct is from a number of years ago, the victims — then children and now young women — are no less entitled to their day in court," Berman said.