Today, forty four attorneys general endorsed the Amy and Vicky Child Pornography Victim Restitution Improvement Act of 2014 and requested that Congress bring the bill to a vote.
Calling the United States Supreme Court decision in Paroline v. United States “counter to the legal opinions of the attorneys general of 35 states and territories, expressed in an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to allow full restitution to victims of child pornography,” the attorneys general criticized the high court’s decision as forcing “victims to pursue a continuous stream of defendants, recovering very little in each case.”
The Paroline decision “disincentivizes victims from seeking the resources they need for therapy, medical care, lost wages and other needed services” while protecting “defendants from having to pay substantial costs to those they have harmed.”
The attorneys general concluded:
The Amy and Vicky Act provides victims with meaningful restitution from the multiple defendants who produce, distribute or possess images of child pornography, including those who have not been identified. The law also provides for joint and several liability so that multiple defendants may sue each other to spread out restitution costs for the same victim.…Providing timely and meaningful restitution will ensure that the growing number of victims can begin to rebuild their lives by fully recovering the financial losses caused by child pornography.
The Attorneys General Supporting the AVA
| Greg Zoeller Indiana Attorney General |
Robert W. Ferguson Washington Attorney General |
| Luther Strange Alabama Attorney General |
Michael Geraghty Alaska Attorney General |
| Tom Horne Arizona Attorney General |
Dustin McDaniel Arkansas Attorney General |
| Kamala Harris California Attorney General |
John W. Suthers Colorado Attorney General |
| Joseph R. “Beau” Biden III Delaware Attorney General |
Pamela Jo Bondi Florida Attorney General |
| Samuel S. Olens Georgia Attorney General |
Lenny Rapadas Guam Attorney General |
David Louie Hawaii Attorney General |
Lawrence Wasden Idaho Attorney General |
| Lisa Madigan Illinois Attorney General |
Tom Miller Iowa Attorney General |
| Derek Schmidt Kansas Attorney General |
Jack Conway Kentucky Attorney General |
| James “Buddy” Caldwell Louisiana Attorney General |
Janet Mills Maine Attorney General |
| Douglas F. Gansler Maryland Attorney General |
Martha Coakley Massachusetts Attorney General |
| Bill Schuette Michigan Attorney General |
Lori Swanson Minnesota Attorney General |
| Jim Hood Mississippi Attorney General |
Chris Koster Missouri Attorney General |
| Tim Fox Montana Attorney General |
Jon Bruning Nebraska Attorney General |
| Joseph Foster New Hampshire Attorney General |
John Hoffman New Jersey Attorney General |
| Gary King New Mexico Attorney General |
Roy Cooper North Carolina Attorney General |
| Wayne Stenehjem North Dakota Attorney General |
Scott Pruitt Oklahoma Attorney General |
| Ellen F. Rosenblum Oregon Attorney General |
Peter Kilmartin Rhode Island Attorney General |
| Alan Wilson South Carolina Attorney General |
Marty Jackley South Dakota Attorney General |
| Greg Abbott Texas Attorney General |
Sean Reyes Utah Attorney General |
| William H. Sorrell Vermont Attorney General |
Mark Herring Virginia Attorney General |
| Patrick Morrisey West Virginia Attorney General |
J.B. Van Hollen Wisconsin Attorney General |