On September 25, 2024, Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) and Burgess Owens (UT-4) introduced the "Courtney Wild Reinforcing Crime Victims' Rights Act" (the "Act"). This Act was prompted by Wild's lawsuit asserting that the victims of Jeffrey Epstein were violated under the Crime Victims' Rights Act ("CVRA"), arguing that she and the other victims had the right to confer with prosecutors before the government files indictments. In Wild's case, federal prosecutors worked out a secret non-prosecution plea deal with Epstein and his attorneys, without conferring with the victims.
The proposed Act empowers the Attorney General to execute reforms to ensure CVRA rights are provided to all crime victims, including a reform to clarify that victims have "the right to be informed" of plea and pretrial agreements. Support for the Act includes: the National Center for Victims of Crime, the National Organization for Victim Advocacy, the National Victims' Rights Law Center, the National Crime Victim Law Institute and many other organizations.
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