Beyond the new federal criminal sex-trafficking case against wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, civil actions are pending against him in Florida and New York by women who say he abused and raped them when they were young teenagers, some 15 to 20 years ago.

If the same alleged crimes took place in Georgia, could anyone sue him?

No, according to Emma M. Hetherington, director of the University of Georgia School of Law's Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic. “Unless the crimes took place after July 1, 2015, or the victims are currently under 23.”

Georgia temporarily suspended its statute of limitations for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, but that window has now closed. Efforts have been made and failed in the Legislature to follow some other states in lengthening or abolishing the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse.

And survivors of childhood sexual abuse often don't disclose the crimes until midlife, often when they have children of their own, Hetherington said.

In addition, Georgia law protects institutions—scouting organizations, churches, schools, all of which have been accused of protecting sexual predators and have successfully lobbied the Legislature to shield them from liability. So only individuals can be sued, and most don't have assets to pay damages, restitution and the cost of therapeutic services it takes to allow many victims to grow strong enough to stand up to abusers, Hetherington said.

Georgia law does allow civil actions against someone, like Epstein, with assets—reportedly airplanes and mansions in New York, Palm Beach, France and the Caribbean—in theory. But the statute of limitations blocks most cases, Hetherington said.

Opponents of modifying the statute of limitations express fears of a flood of lawsuits that could bankrupt organizations. But the law clinic filed only about half a dozen complaints even during the two-year open window. One of those was withdrawn voluntarily. One went to trial and ended in a modest judgment. The others were settled confidentially. The clinic has worked with 78 survivors since it opened in 2016 and currently has five open cases, according to Hetherington.

“They don't come in here saying, 'This is about money,'” Hetherington said. “They come in here saying, 'I want to get back what was taken from me.' They overwhelmingly want to use the judicial system to say in a public forum that they were abused, this happened, and it was wrong.”

Most of the people who come to the clinic for help are not going to be able to sue, she said. The clinic lawyers and staff listen to them anyway.

“We've talked to people when we know that the statute of limitations has run, but we don't stop them from telling their story,” Hetherington said. “We listen. … We get the full story.”

The clinic also partners with the UGA School of Social Work.

“We try to find referrals that might help them,” she said. That might include legal aid, therapeutic services or other resources.

“Sometimes we can't take cases. But we leave them with something in their hands to hold and know someone believes them,” Hetherington said.

Part of the clinic's mission is to provide resources for survivors and attorneys seeking justice. The clinic is conducting research on barriers to accessing justice for survivors of child sexual abuse, and best practices for trauma-informed and holistic representation.

Besides listening respectfully and affirming the courage it takes to speak out about the unspeakable, Hetherington has one more bit of advice for lawyers and others who hear the kinds of stories being told now by adults who say they were abused as children and teens.

“We always say thank you to people for telling us. It means a lot to us that they trust us enough to tell us,” Hetherington said. “It's truly an honor.”