H.R. 9679

119 HR 9679 IH: Recovery, Enforcement, and Damages to Assure Confidential Treatment Act
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-07-14
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 EN
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 I
 119th CONGRESS  2d Session
 H. R. 9679
 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 July 14, 2026
  Ms. Jayapal  introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on the Judiciary
 A BILL
To provide a private cause of action for exposure of personally identifiable information of victims or victims’ personal or medical files or similar files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy in releasing documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Recovery, Enforcement, and Damages to Assure Confidential Treatment Act   or as the   REDACT Act  .
2.
Private cause of action for exposure of personally identifiable information of victims or victims’ personal or medical files or similar files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy in releasing documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act
Section 2 of the Epstein Files Transparency Act ( Public Law 119–38 ; 139 Stat. 656) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(d)
Private cause of action
(1)
Definitions
In this subsection:
(A)
Instance
The term  instance , with respect to a violation of this section, means each discrete act constituting a violation of this section.
(B)
Violation of this section
The term  violation of this section  means a failure, in releasing documents under this Act, to withhold or redact personally identifiable information of a victim or a personal or medical file of a victim or another similar file of a victim the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
(2)
Cause of action
Any person aggrieved by a violation of this section may bring a civil action against the United States if the violation of this section was committed by an officer, employee, or agent of the United States or of any Federal department or agency.
(3)
Relief
(A)
In general
If a person prevails on a claim under this subsection, the court shall award—
(i)
for each instance of a violation of this section, the greater of statutory damages of $50,000 or the amount of compensatory damages, including damages for pain and suffering and emotional distress;
(ii)
reasonable attorney's fees and costs of litigation; and
(iii)
such injunctive or declaratory relief as may be appropriate.
(B)
Preliminary relief
Upon motion by a person bringing a claim under this subsection, a court may award such preliminary injunctive relief as the court determines appropriate with respect to the claim.
(4)
Waiver of sovereign immunity
The United States expressly waives sovereign immunity with respect to actions brought under this subsection.
(5)
Period of limitations
A civil action under this subsection may not be commenced later than—
(A)
5 years after the applicable person first obtains actual notice of the violation of this section; or
(B)
for a violation of this section with respect to which the applicable person first obtained actual notice of the violation of this section before the date of enactment of this subsection, 5 years after such date of enactment.
(6)
Applicability
This subsection shall apply to any violation of this section occurring on or after November 19, 2025.
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