119 HR 9679 IH: Recovery, Enforcement, and Damages to Assure Confidential Treatment Act U.S. House of Representatives 2026-07-14 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I 119th CONGRESS2d 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..