Sex-abuse survivors and advocates are slamming City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams for blocking a “look-back” bill that would give more victims the ability to sue — including against Jeffrey Epstein’s estate.
Jesse Campoamor, a lobbyist working with a firm repping scores of plaintiffs against the city, said he can’t recall a bill with this level of council support having trouble reaching the floor and getting a vote.
He suggested the issue could come down to simply petty politics.
“I usually steer clear of speculation, but there’s been chatter that some lingering tension from the last mayoral race may be at play, that the speaker was disappointed the bill’s author [Queens Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers] endorsed [ex-Gov. Andrew] Cuomo over her despite their long-standing mentor–mentee relationship,” Campoamor told The Post.
“If that’s a factor, it would be deeply disheartening, given what’s at stake for survivors,’’ he said.
The bill aims to give victims a year starting in March 2026 to sue the city and institutions that helped facilitate the abuse against them, regardless of when the incidents occurred.
The city’s statute of limitation on such suits is now nine years after the reported incident.
The proposed legislation would cover suits against city workers such as at its jails and institutions including the Mt. Sinai Hospital system, which was sued for allegedly covering up the abuse of 19 patients.
The bill also would allow victims of notorious late sex fiend Jeffrey Epstein to sue his estate.
“If they don’t allow a vote and they don’t pass this bill, they are literally protecting Jeffrey Epstein,” Jordan Merson, a lawyer representing about 40 Epstein victims, said of the bill’s foes.
“They can either side with Jeffrey Epstein and protect him or side with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and allow them to try to get justice,” he said.
The bill has languished in the council since it was introduced in May and only received its first hearing this month.
“We’re literally talking about the legal rights of hundreds of survivors of sexual violence in New York City that either are going to be protected if the city council acts promptly or that potentially could be lost forever,” said Jerome Block, a lawyer representing hundreds of abuse accusers suing the city over decades-long allegations in its juvenile jails.
The Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget projects the financial impact of the bill could be up to $1 billion.
But Block said. “Our leaders have to understand that delay is damage’’ to the survivors seeking justice.
Advocates and other sources told The Post that the speaker’s office has iced them out for weeks, either by not responding or giving shifting explanations for why the bill has has not been brought for a vote.
Khalid Melvin, one of the hundreds of people trying to sue the city for alleged abuse in juvenile jails, said the stymying of the bill was disheartening.
“That’s not fair,” said Melvin, 47, who has alleged that he was repeatedly abused for years starting at the age of 14 when he was at Spofford Juvenile Detention Center in The Bronx.
A representative for Adams said the notion that the speaker is acting based on petty politics is ridiculous.
“The person making these irresponsible claims lacks credibility, as he was an enthusiastic political promoter of a serial sexual harasser becoming mayor,” the representative said, referring to Campoamor, who worked for ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, now a mayoral candidate.
Cuomo has denied the slew of sex allegations against him.
Brooks-Powers did not respond to Post request for comment.
A City Council rep added, “Since being introduced in May, [the bill] has continued to move through the legislative process.
“It received a hearing within committee earlier this month, the routine next step that allows for a bill to be reviewed and the subject of public testimony earlier before it can advance further. Now, it has advanced to the critical step of negotiation with the mayoral administration and stakeholders that precedes consideration for passage.
“Survivors of gender-based violence deserve accountability, and this bill has been proceeding through the steps that apply to all legislation advancing. It’s unfortunate that anyone would mischaracterize the legislative process and distort the public’s understanding by making false political claims that have no bearing.
“The Council understands the significance of this bill for survivors and continues its work to advance it through the well-established legislative process.”
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