Interviewed by ABC WSB 2 in Atlanta, Georgia, Angela discusses House Bill 17 - Hidden Predator Act which extends the statute of limitations under the 2 year discovery rule and opens Investigative records to victims.

Video Transcript

Justin Farmer: Rape victims barred from court. They say that they have nowhere to turn in Georgia to seek justice. New at eleven, Channel Two’s, Rachel Stockman now live at the state capitol where, Rachel, you sat in on a hearing that pushed to open court doors for child sexual abuse victims.

Rachel Stockman: So, Justin, listen to this. If you were raped as a child and right now you're older than 23 here in the state of Georgia, you have no right to sue. This bill right here would change that.

Lori Kennedy: I was sixteen.

Rachel Stockman: and you were raped daily?

Lori Kennedy: Daily at work. It was just he and I in the office, and he would lock the door.

Rachel Stockman: Lori Kennedy says it took her nearly 20 years to admit what happened.

Lori Kennedy: I was scared to death, and I thought it was all my fault.

Rachel Stockman: She is one of more than a dozen rape victims who came to speak only with Channel Two Action News on Monday after a packed state Capitol hearing.

Angela Williams: I attempted suicide at age seventeen. I took a bottle of vodka mixed with sixty-four sleeping pills. So, it was my way of trying to escape the abuse.

Rachel Stockman: Angela Williams is leading the effort to pass HB 17, or the Hidden Predator Act, which would in part extend the statute of limitations, allowing child victims 35 years to sue their attacker.

Lori Kennedy: My goal is not to get rich. My goal is to keep him from continuing.

Rachel Stockman: The bill sponsored by Representative Jason Spencer, is part of a nationwide effort gaining momentum in part by the new allegations against Bill Cosby about decades old sexual abuse.

Jason Spencer: These folks are locked out of the courts and justice is absolutely denied.

Rachel Stockman: Experts say Georgia is behind nationwide.

Marci Hamilton: Georgia is one of the five worst states in the country.

Rachel Stockman: And that hearing room was packed today. But I can tell you no one has yet to speak out against the bill. Reporting live at the Georgia state Capitol, Rachel Stockman, Channel Two Action News Night Beat.

Justin Farmer: And now let's give you more details on something that's emotional to so many people. The following states have no statute of limitations at all, and it means victims can sue their attackers at any age. Those states are Alaska, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maine, and Minnesota.