For Survivors of Trafficking & Abuse
The Backpage fund has closed.
You still have options.
The Department of Justice’s Backpage.com remission fund closed on March 31, 2026, and the deadline to file a petition has passed. But that fund was never the only path to justice. If you were trafficked or abused, you may still be able to bring a civil case, and we know how to build it.
We were honored to represent survivors who submitted petitions to the Backpage fund. You can still check on the program’s progress at the official site.
Official DOJ Backpage Remission ProgramOur Work Continues
The fund was never your only option.
Survivors can bring civil claims under federal law. These claims stand on their own. They don’t need the fund, a criminal case, or an arrest. For years we’ve gone after traffickers, abusers, and the companies that profit from them. One of our own attorneys sued Backpage.com on behalf of child sex trafficking victims.
Were you sex trafficked?
Many people who were trafficked never call it that. Sex trafficking is when someone uses force, fraud, or coercion to make an adult perform a commercial sex act. If you were under 18, none of that is required. A minor in commercial sex is a trafficking victim under the law, period.
Federal law gives you the right to sue, including the hotels, websites, and businesses that knew what was happening and profited anyway.
Were you a victim of gender-based violence?
Trafficking is one kind of gender-based violence, not the only kind we handle. Sexual assault, exploitation, coercive control, abuse by someone who held power over you: any of these can be the basis of a legal claim.
If you are not sure your experience counts, that is exactly why you should call. You do not need the right words. Tell us what happened, and we will tell you whether you have a case.
Beyond the Individual
When a company profits from the harm.
Trafficking and abuse do not happen in a vacuum. There is almost always a company profiting, or looking away, while someone gets hurt.
Federal law lets survivors go after more than the individual. It reaches any business that knowingly benefited from a trafficking venture. Courts have used it against hotels, websites, and other companies that chose profit over people.
Backpage is the clearest example. It built one of the largest online marketplaces for commercial sex and made millions from it for years.
The Real Question
The deadline is the real question. Let us answer it.
This is the part we will not soften. Every legal claim has a deadline. Miss it, and the door closes for good, no matter how strong the case is.
Federal law generally gives trafficking survivors ten years to file.
The clock has usually run until ten years after your 18th birthday.
Congress removed the federal deadline entirely for trafficking victims who were minors at the time. If you were a child when this happened, you may be able to file today, even if someone once told you it was too late.
Deadlines vary by the specific law, the state, and the facts of your case, and this page is general information, not legal advice. The only way to know whether your claim is still open is to ask. Were you trafficked? Were you a minor? How long ago? Tell us, and we will tell you straight.
Iliana Konidaris Managing Legal Counsel · New York City
A powerful voice for accountability and change.
Olympias Iliana (“Iliana”) Konidaris is one of the nation’s leading attorneys on gender-based violence and advocacy-driven representation. With over ten years handling civil litigation and civil rights claims in New York and nationwide, she is managing legal counsel of our New York City office. She is a relentless advocate in matters of sex discrimination, human trafficking, Title IX, internet predators, sexual abuse, and children’s rights.
She has represented victims of child sex trafficking in lawsuits against Backpage.com. She has taken on celebrity wrongdoers, broken institutions, and individuals who thought they were untouchable.
“Whether you’re a college student silenced by fear after a sexual assault, a mother who discovered that a creep took advantage of your child, or you were forced into the sex work industry — you may have legal claims and protections, and you deserve to be heard.”
Questions Survivors Ask Us
You don’t need the right words. Just the truth.
The Backpage fund closed. Is it too late for me?
Not necessarily. The remission fund was one avenue. It was never the only one. Civil claims under federal law stand entirely on their own, with their own deadlines. Even though the fund’s March 31, 2026 petition deadline has passed, you may still be able to bring a case. The way to find out is to ask.
I never thought of what happened to me as “trafficking.” Could it still count?
Very possibly. Many survivors never use that word. Under the law, sex trafficking is when someone uses force, fraud, or coercion to make an adult perform a commercial sex act. If you were under 18, none of that is required at all. Commercial sex means any sex act traded for money, drugs, a place to stay, or anything of value. The person responsible is often someone you knew, not a stranger.
There was never an arrest or a criminal case. Can I still sue?
Yes. A civil claim does not need a criminal case, and it does not need anyone to have been arrested or convicted. It stands on its own.
Can I hold a company or website responsible, not just an individual?
Often, yes. Federal law reaches any business that knowingly benefited from a trafficking venture. Courts have applied it to hotels, websites, and other companies that chose profit over people. Backpage is the clearest example, and it is not the only one.
What does it cost to talk to you?
Nothing. The conversation is free, confidential, and there is no pressure. You tell us what happened, and we tell you whether we can help, or point you to the next best thing.
A Safe Place to Start
If any of this is your story, you are not alone.
You do not have to have it all figured out before you reach out. Tell us what happened in your own words. What you share is confidential, and the decision about what to do next stays yours.