18 U.S.C. § 2255 - Civil remedy for personal injuries

• Cite as: 18 U.S.C. § 2255

(a) IN GENERAL.-Any person who, while a minor, was a victim of a violation of section 1589, 1590, 1591, 2241(c), 2242, 2243, 2251, 2251A, 2252, 2252A, 2260, 2421, 2422, or 2423 of this title and who suffers personal injury as a result of such violation, regardless of whether the injury occurred while such person was a minor, may sue in any appropriate United States District Court and shall recover the actual damages such person sustains or liquidated damages in the amount of $150,000, and the cost of the action, including reasonable attorney's fees and other litigation costs reasonably incurred. The court may also award punitive damages and such other preliminary and equitable relief as the court determines to be appropriate.

(b) STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS.-There shall be no time limit for the filing of a complaint commencing an action under this section.

(c) VENUE; SERVICE OF PROCESS.-

(1) VENUE.-Any action brought under subsection (a) may be brought in the district court of the United States that meets applicable requirements relating to venue under section 1391 of title 28.

(2) SERVICE OF PROCESS.-In an action brought under subsection (a), process may be served in any district in which the defendant-

(A) is an inhabitant; or

(B) may be found.

Cite as 18 U.S.C. § 2255

Source: Added Pub. L. 99-500, §101(b) [title VII, §703(a)], Oct. 18, 1986, 100 Stat. 1783-39, 1783-74, and Pub. L. 99-591, §101(b) [title VII, §703(a)], Oct. 30, 1986, 100 Stat. 3341-39, 3341-74; amended Pub. L. 105-314, title VI, §605, Oct. 30, 1998, 112 Stat. 2984; Pub. L. 109-248, title VII, §707(b), (c), July 27, 2006, 120 Stat. 650; Pub. L. 113-4, title XII, §1212(a), Mar. 7, 2013, 127 Stat. 143; Pub. L. 115-126, title I, §102, Feb. 14, 2018, 132 Stat. 319; Pub. L. 117-176, §2, Sept. 16, 2022, 136 Stat. 2108.

Notes from the Office of Law Revision Counsel

current through 5/22/2023

EDITORIAL NOTES

CODIFICATION

Pub. L. 99-591 is a corrected version of Pub. L. 99-500.

PRIOR PROVISIONS

A prior section 2255 was renumbered section 2256 of this title.

AMENDMENTS

2022-Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 117-176 added subsec. (b) and struck out former subsec. (b). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: "Any action commenced under this section shall be barred unless the complaint is filed-