Judiciary I - Civil Law Committee

Filed: 3/9/2005

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 1299

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 1299 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Predator Accountability Act.
 
6     Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds:
7         (1) The United Nations Convention of December 2, 1949
8     proclaimed that prostitution and sex trafficking are
9     "incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human
10     person and endanger the welfare of the individual, the
11     family and the community." Sex trade activities and sex
12     trafficking are supported by inequality and oppression
13     based on gender, race, socioeconomic status, sexual
14     orientation, and age. The sex trade and sex trafficking
15     disproportionately affect women and children, particularly
16     women of color. Men are also trafficked and exploited in
17     the sex trade.
18         (2) Regardless of the specific pathway the women took
19     to trading sex, their initial experiences could not have
20     occurred in the absence of an environment that was
21     supportive of their sex trade activities, as well as
22     partners who were willing to pay for sex. Research and
23     evidence suggests that the sex trade is inherently
24     coercive, abusive, and exploitative. Individuals,

 

 

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1     organizations, and entities often recruit and maintain
2     persons, largely women and girls, in the sex trade through
3     predatory behaviors including coercion, violence, abuse,
4     and exploitation.
5         (3) These practices often cause severe trauma and
6     long-term physical, emotional, and psychological damage.
7     Often, individuals enter sex trade-related activities
8     prior to age 18, are homeless or runaways, victims of
9     childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, or have
10     mental health or substance abuse issues. Many adult persons
11     in the sex trade are victimized by many forms of violence
12     and abuse while in the sex trade. This violence is often
13     perpetrated to maintain their participation in the sex
14     trade.
15         (4) Many persons, organizations, and entities that
16     subject individuals to or maintain them in the sex trade
17     are not held accountable by the criminal justice system. In
18     some parts of the State, less than 1% of all prostitution
19     related arrests are for pimps or panderers.
20         (5) This Act allows persons who have been or are
21     subjected to the sex trade to seek civil damages and
22     remedies from individuals and entities that recruited,
23     profited from, or maintained them in the sex trade.
 
24     Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
25     "Sex trade" means any type of sexual activity in exchange
26 for any type of consideration, including a single incident of
27 activity. Forms of "sex trade" include, but are not limited to,
28 sex trafficking, street-level sex trade activity, stripping,
29 massage parlors, pornography, and escort services and involve
30 adults and youth of all gender and sexual orientations, whether
31 or not physical contact is involved.
 
32     Section 15. Cause of action.

 

 

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1     (a) An individual subjected to the sex trade has a cause of
2 action against a person or entity who:
3         (1) recruited, hired, offered, agreed, or attempted to
4     hire the individual to engage in the sex trade;
5         (2) procured, enticed, led away, pimped, trafficked,
6     financed, or profited from his or her sex trade activity;
7         (3) collected or received any of the individual's
8     earnings derived from the sex trade; or
9         (4) advertised or published advertisements for
10     purposes of recruitment into illegal sex trade activity.
11     (b) A separate cause of action may be brought under this
12 Act against any individual who has engaged in retaliation
13 against any plaintiff in a proceeding under this Act, any
14 member of a plaintiff's family, any person who in good faith
15 has opposed anything that he or she reasonably believed to be a
16 violation of this Act, or any person who has filed a complaint,
17 testified, assisted, or participated in a proceeding pursuant
18 to this Act.
 
19     Section 20. Relief. A prevailing plaintiff shall be
20 entitled to all relief that would make the plaintiff whole.
21 This includes, but is not limited to:
22         (1) declaratory relief;
23         (2) injunctive relief;
24         (3) recovery of costs and attorney fees, including but
25     not limited to costs for expert testimony and witness fees;
26         (4) profits from sex trade activity;
27         (5) compensatory damages, such as (i) economic loss,
28     including damage, destruction, or loss of use of personal
29     property and loss of past or future income or earning
30     capacity, and (ii) damages for death, personal injury,
31     disease, and mental and emotional harm, including medical,
32     rehabilitation, and burial expenses, and pain and
33     suffering, including physical impairment; and

 

 

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1         (6) punitive damages.
 
2     Section 25. Non-defenses. It is not a defense to an action
3 under this Act that:
4         (1) the plaintiff consented to engage in acts of the
5     sex trade;
6         (2) the plaintiff and defendant had a marital or
7     consenting sexual relationship;
8         (3) the defendant is related to plaintiff by blood or
9     marriage, or has lived with the defendant in any formal or
10     informal household arrangement;
11         (4) the plaintiff was paid or otherwise compensated for
12     sex trade activity;
13         (5) the plaintiff engaged in sex trade activity prior
14     to any involvement with the defendant;
15         (6) the defendant had not engaged in prior sex trade
16     activity with the plaintiff;
17         (7) the plaintiff owed a debt to the defendant,
18     monetary or otherwise;
19         (8) the defendant signed a legal or illegal contract
20     with the plaintiff;
21         (9) the plaintiff apparently initiated involvement
22     with the defendant;
23         (10) the plaintiff made no attempt to escape, flee, or
24     otherwise terminate contact with the defendant;
25         (11) the plaintiff continued to engage in sex trade
26     activity after terminating contact with defendant;
27         (12) as a condition of employment, the defendant
28     required the plaintiff to agree not to engage in the sex
29     trade; or
30         (13) the defendant's place of business was posted with
31     signs prohibiting illegal sex trade activity.
 
32     Section 30. Evidence. In the course of litigation under

 

 

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1 this Act, any transaction about which a plaintiff testifies or
2 produces evidence does not subject the plaintiff to criminal
3 prosecution or any penalty or forfeiture. Any testimony or
4 evidence, documentary or otherwise, or information directly or
5 indirectly derived from that testimony or evidence that is
6 given or produced by a plaintiff or a witness for a plaintiff
7 may not be used against that person in any other investigation
8 or proceeding, other than a criminal investigation or
9 proceeding for perjury committed while giving the testimony or
10 producing the evidence.
11     Evidence of any prior convictions, particularly for sex
12 trade or sex trade-related offenses, shall be inadmissible in a
13 proceeding brought under this Act for purposes of attacking the
14 plaintiff's credibility. If the court admits evidence of prior
15 convictions for purposes permitted under the rules of evidence
16 with respect to motive, opportunity, intent, preparation,
17 plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident,
18 the fact finder may consider the evidence solely for those
19 purposes and shall disregard details offered to prove any fact
20 that is not relevant.
 
21     Section 35. Statute of limitations.
22     (a) If the person entitled to bring the action was a minor
23 at the time the cause of action accrued, the action must be
24 commenced within 10 years after the person reaches the age of
25 18. An action for damages under this Act must be commenced
26 within 10 years of the time the plaintiff knew and fully
27 understood:
28         (1) that the plaintiff had been injured; and
29         (2) that the injury was caused by conduct of the
30     defendant described in this Act.
31     (b) The court shall toll the limitations period upon a
32 showing that the plaintiff was or is unable, due to sex
33 trade-related injury, to commence the action within the

 

 

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1 limitations period. The injury may be psychological and need
2 not be traceable to any action by the defendant. A plaintiff
3 may not be compelled to personally appear to attest to these
4 facts. Affidavits from the plaintiff and the plaintiff's doctor
5 stating the required facts shall be sufficient to constitute a
6 showing as required by this subsection (b).
7     (c) The court shall toll the limitations period upon a
8 showing that despite reasonable efforts, the plaintiff was
9 unable to ascertain the identity, true name, or location of the
10 defendant during the limitations period. In determining
11 whether the plaintiff's efforts were reasonable, the court
12 shall consider the totality of the plaintiff's circumstances
13 during the limitations period, including the plaintiff's
14 emotional condition, financial resources, freedom of movement
15 and communication, and reasonable fear of the defendant for
16 self or others.
17     (d) The court shall toll the limitations period upon a
18 showing that the defendant in any way inhibited the plaintiff's
19 understanding of the right to pursue the cause of action or the
20 plaintiff's ability to pursue the cause of action. Behavior
21 constituting inhibition includes, but is not limited to:
22         (1) minimizing by words or deeds the harm inflicted
23     upon plaintiff;
24         (2) isolating plaintiff from access to legal
25     representation;
26         (3) threatening plaintiff with retaliation for
27     pursuing the claim; and
28         (4) misrepresenting the injury as the plaintiff's
29     fault rather than the fault of the abuser.
30     (e) There is no limitation of time on actions for
31 declaratory or injunctive relief under this Act.
 
32     Section 40. Other remedies preserved. The provisions of
33 this Act do not affect the right of any person to bring an

 

 

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1 action or use any remedy available under other law, including
2 common law, to recover damages arising out of the use of the
3 individual in the sex trade nor does this Act limit or restrict
4 the liability of any person under other law. This Act does not
5 reflect a determination of a policy regarding the applicability
6 of strict liability to activities relating to the sex trade.
 
7     Section 45. Double recovery prohibited. A person who
8 recovers damages under this Act may not recover the same costs
9 or damages under any other Act. A person who recovers damages
10 under any other Act may not recover for the same costs or
11 damages under this Act.
 
12     Section 50. Avoidance of liability. No person may avoid
13 liability under this Act by means of any conveyance of any
14 right, title, or interest in real property, or by any
15 indemnification, hold harmless agreement, or similar agreement
16 that purports to show consent of the plaintiff.
 
17     Section 55. Severability. If any provision of this Act or
18 its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid,
19 the invalidity of that provision or its application does not
20 affect other provisions or applications of this Act that can be
21 given effect without the invalid provision or application.
 
22     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
23 becoming law.".