Rioting Restitution Act

Rioting Restitution Act

This bill allows individuals who are personally injured by a riot, or who suffer property damage because of a riot, to sue those responsible in federal court and receive triple damages.

Specifically, the bill allows victims to sue any person that (1) caused the injury or property damage; (2) traveled from out of state or used, for example, the internet, telephone, television, or mail with the intent to incite, organize, or participate in the riot; and (3) did incite, organize, or participate in the riot or attempted to do so.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4551 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4551

      To provide a cause of action for persons injured by rioting.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 9, 2020

  Mr. Cotton (for himself and Mrs. Loeffler) introduced the following 
    bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To provide a cause of action for persons injured by rioting.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rioting Restitution Act''.

SEC. 2. CIVIL ACTION FOR INJURIES.

    (a) Cause of Action.--A person who suffers personal injury or whose 
property is damaged by a riot (as defined in section 2102 of title 18, 
United States Code) may bring a civil action in an appropriate district 
court of the United States against any person who--
            (1) caused the personal injury or property damage;
            (2) traveled in interstate or foreign commerce or used any 
        facility of interstate or foreign commerce, including the mail, 
        telegraph, telephone, radio, or television, with the intent 
        to--
                    (A) incite the riot;
                    (B) organize, promote, encourage, participate in, 
                or carry on the riot;
                    (C) commit any act of violence in furtherance of 
                the riot; or
                    (D) aid or abet any person in inciting or 
                participating in or carrying on the riot or committing 
                any act of violence in furtherance of the riot; and
            (3) during the course of, or following, any such travel or 
        use performed or attempted to perform any other overt act for 
        any purpose specified in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or (D) of 
        paragraph (2).
    (b) Treble Damages.--A defendant in a civil action brought under 
subsection (a) shall be subject to treble damages.
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