Virginia

Giuffre’s family, Epstein survivors back ‘Virginia’s Law’: ‘Justice should not expire’

Published

4 weeks ago

February 10, 2026

Giuffre’s family, Epstein survivors back ‘Virginia’s Law’: ‘Justice should not expire’

Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein came to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to support lawmakers as they introduced ‘Virginia’s Law’ — a measure to help victims sue alleged sex abusers by making it more difficult for them to evade lawsuits.

The bill, named after Virginia Giuffre, Jeffrey Epstein’s most high-profile accuser, would remove the statute of limitations – the time in which a lawsuit can be filed — in sexual abuse civil cases nationwide while also creating new legal options for survivors.

“People refuse to accept silence at the end of the story. It’s that simple,” Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, a co-sponsor, said.

“It cannot be, when something this dastardly and this terrible and this heart wrenching happens for years,” he said.

The bill also includes language stripping what supporters called legal loopholes for alleged abusers operating in different jurisdictions, citing Epstein’s use of his private Caribbean island as a case in point.

“Survivors of Epstein’s abuse were ignored. They were doubted, they were silenced, they were dismissed,” Schumer said. “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.”

Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez, Democrat of New Mexico embraces Sky Roberts, brother of Virginia Giuffre, an accuser of Jeffrey Epstein, during a news conference to introduce “Virginia’s Law” at the US Capitol in Washington, Feb. 10, 2026.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

States have varying rules that disallow abuse survivors from bringing civil cases if too much time passes. For example, Alabama has a two-year civil statute of limitations, which can be extended if the victim is a minor, while Texas has no limit on when a case can be brought.

Schumer argues Virginia’s Law gives survivors of abuse across the nation the time to process traumatic events before bringing civil cases and removes automatic protections for abusers who wait out legal deadlines to file suit.

“That’s a system that protects abusers by waiting survivors out. Our law, Virginia’s Law changes that,” Schumer said. “It allows survivors to seek accountability when they’re ready, when they’re strong, supportive, able to face the weight of civilizations, of civil litigation, sometimes it takes years to recuperate from the horror that occurred.”

Sigrid McCawley, a lawyer representing several Epstein survivors, agreed with Schumer that the current limitations are too strict for victims and should be much more flexible.

“Many survivors don’t come to terms with their abuse until many, many years later, and they deserve the right to be able to bring an action when they’re ready. That’s what this law does,” McCawley said.

“It is heartbreaking to be here announcing this without [Virginia], but I will tell you that her voice is being heard loud and clear,” she said.

“She is saying all Americans, Democrats, Republicans, independents, all Americans need to come together and pass this law. It’s the right thing to do. It’s the thing we need to do now,” she said.

Family and supporters hold a photo of Virginia Giuffre, an accuser of Jeffrey Epstein, during a news conference to introduce “Virginia’s Law” at the US Capitol in Washington, February 10, 2026.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Holding a photograph of Virginia Giuffre, her family members stood with survivors.

Giuffre’s brother, Sky Roberts, and his wife both got emotional as they honored her.

Roberts spoke through tears.

“I want to begin with a single word, a word that meant everything to my sister, a word we will not stop fighting for until real justice is served and that word is ‘change,’” he said.

“We are holding an overwhelming mix of grief, loss and pride, and if our voices shake and our tears fall, it is only because of the depth of our love for our sister,” he said. “Grief without action is another kind of silence, and Virginia did not survive what she survived just to be silenced again.”

Lawmakers and survivors said they hope Virginia Giuffre’s legacy can live on in future investigations into Epstein.

“What Virginia did was build the bridge, and now we are crossing that bridge because of the bravery and the words and the wisdom, and I’m sorry for the loss of Virginia, where she has left something so powerful for all victims,” Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, another co-sponsor, said.

Source link

Related Topics:130041965 article Featured

Click to comment

Virginia

Virginia lawmakers criticize anti-redistricting mailer with Jim Crow-era images – WTOP News

Published

9 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Virginia lawmakers criticize anti-redistricting mailer with Jim Crow-era images – WTOP News

The flyers encourage people to vote against the redistricting effort and feature pictures of the Ku Klux Klan and from the Civil Rights Movement.

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones condemned flyers with Jim Crow-era images discouraging voters from supporting redistricting in the state.

The mailers, which Jones told WTOP he first learned about last weekend, featured pictures of the Ku Klux Klan and from the Civil Rights Movement. One such mailer said, “Our ancestors fought to represent us. Now Richmond politicians are trying to take our districts away.”

The flyers encourage people to vote against the redistricting effort.

A group, Justice for Democracy, has been sending out mailers and texts with some clear dog whistles, using varying disclaimers in Virginia (“Democracy and Justice PAC” and “Justice for Democracy PAC”).
Its treasurer is listed as Christopher Woodfin and its address is the same … pic.twitter.com/JvetyKGnbw
— Matt Royer (@royermattw) March 7, 2026

Early voting is underway, as Democrats in the state push for changes to congressional districts that are expected to give them more of an advantage in Congress. They said it’s in response to President Donald Trump encouraging redistricting in Republican-led states such as Texas. Republicans, though, have been critical.

In an interview with WTOP, Jones, Virginia’s first Black attorney general, said the mailers are disturbing, shocking, offensive and deceptive.

“It’s very clear a MAGA-linked group that opposes the referendum is sending these mailers to Black voters, and they’re misusing very, very hurtful imagery from the Civil Rights Movement, even invoking Jim Crow, to weaponize one of the darkest chapters in our history, to scare people into voting no and help Republicans maintain a rigged map for 2026 so they can keep control of Congress,” Jones said.

In a statement, the NAACP Virginia State Conference said the flyers falsely compare redistricting to Jim Crow.

“While the NAACP is nonpartisan, we are deeply engaged in political advocacy to safeguard our communities,” said Rev. Cozy Bailey, president of NAACP Virginia.

The purpose of the mailers, Jones said, is to “suppress the vote. It’s to make sure that people don’t go make their voices heard during this election.”

The flyers said they’re paid for by a group called Democracy and Justice PAC. Former Virginia Del. A.C. Cordoza, a Republican, is listed as the chairman, according to Virginia Board of Elections documents.

“I couldn’t see why they say it’s insulting,” Cordoza told WTOP. “I’m a Black man. I don’t want my Black vote to be taken away.”

The proposed new map, Cordoza said, “ripped apart majority-minority districts in order to increase the number of white representatives from Northern Virginia.”

Cordoza said he didn’t know how many homes the mailers had been sent to or how much the PAC spent on them.

“I want people to do their research and see exactly what’s happening,” Cordoza said. “We, as Virginians, voted for a bipartisan redistricting commission for a reason.”

Jones, though, said he sits “across the dinner table from people who have had their right to vote denied because of the color of their skin. It’s 2026. I would hope that we’d be past tactics like this, but clearly we aren’t.”

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

Source link

Virginia

Gov. Spanberger leads Virginia public safety readiness briefing

Published

21 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Gov. Spanberger leads Virginia public safety readiness briefing

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger met with public safety leaders from across the commonwealth Monday as part of a “unified readiness” coordination effort.

The governor met with police and fire chiefs, sheriffs, emergency managers and private sector members — including Dominion Energy — to discuss Virginia’s commitment to public safety, intelligence sharing and interagency collaboration.

“As global tensions continue to evolve, I want to be very clear: there are no known threats specific to Virginia at this time,” Spanberger said. “Today’s briefing was about making sure that information can be shared quickly and we remain at the ready.”

The meeting relates to Spanberger’s Executive Order 12, which she says reaffirms Virginia’s commitment to public safety, community trust, and readiness.

CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.

📲: CONNECT WITH US

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.

Source link

Virginia

Opinion | Virginia Giuffre’s brothers join protest outside Epstein’s former New Mexico ranch

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Opinion | Virginia Giuffre’s brothers join protest outside Epstein’s former New Mexico ranch

The brothers of the late Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre joined demonstrators outside Epstein’s former ranch in New Mexico on Sunday to demand more transparency.

The protest, pegged to International Women’s Day, was attended by what the Santa Fe New Mexican estimated to be hundreds of demonstrators, including activists and lawmakers, outside the estate formerly known as Zorro Ranch.

Sky Roberts said it was the first time he had visited the ranch, and demonstrators’ presence was important as a show of “force” that they’re not “going away,” as some people, including the president, try to direct attention away from the Epstein scandal. During his remarks, he rebuked the government for what he called a cover-up and demanded the Justice Department release documents that show who visited the ranch, among other things.

“All those names are in the files, and right now the government is covering those up,” he said, according to Reuters.

Epstein reportedly talked about using the ranch (now owned by Don Huffines, the GOP candidate for Texas state comptroller) for a eugenics-inspired plan to impregnate several women to “seed” the human race with his DNA (there’s no evidence he carried out such a plan). Giuffre’s posthumously released memoir includes allegations about meeting politicians and CEOs at Zorro Ranch, which was also recently linked to an unverified claim in the Epstein files alleging the deceased sex criminal had the bodies of two women buried near the property. After that allegation surfaced among the recently released Epstein files, New Mexico’s state legislature formed a truth commission to investigate Epstein’s activities at the ranch; the state DOJ has opened a probe of its own.