U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, joined Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to introduce legislation Tuesday (March 3) to prohibit the enforcement of civil nondisclosure agreements in child sexual abuse and human trafficking cases.
Trey’s Law is named in honor of Trey Carlock of Dallas, who died by suicide at 28 after he was sexually abused at Kannuak Kamps in Branson, Missouri. Pete Newman, the camp director, was sentenced to multiple life sentences in prison for the abuse. Carlock later sued the camp, but his settlement included a restrictive NDA that prevented him from sharing his experiences.
Subscribe to The Alabama Baptist today!
SIGN UP for our weekly Highlights emails.
“Just before he died, he told a therapist, ‘They will always control me, and I’ll never be free,’” Trey’s sister, Elizabeth Phillips, said during a press conference introducing the bill. “He was literally silenced to his grave, and it is no exaggeration for me to claim this as a matter of life and death.”
The bill makes an NDA unenforceable if it prevents or restricts someone from disclosing the sexual abuse of a child or facts related to the abuse. The measure would apply to NDAs that were signed before a dispute arose or after a civil settlement agreement.
“Being put into a situation where a victim, though, is then essentially forced into silence, takes the trauma to an entirely new level,” Britt said. “Silence should always be a choice, but never be mandated.”
The Alabama Legislature passed the state version of Trey’s Law earlier this year, sponsored by State Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, and State Sen. Matt Woods, R-Jasper. Faulkner joined Britt at the press conference introducing the federal measure, which he said will hopefully “stop this from ever happening to other children in the future.”
“Instead of going state by state, if we could do this on a federal level, it’s just common sense, and it needs to be done,” Faulkner told Alabama Daily News.
Other states
Several other states have also enacted their own Trey’s Law, including California, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas.
The bipartisan legislation has support from U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, Peter Welch, D-Vermont, Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota.
“Trey’s Law would void predatory nondisclosure agreements that prevent the victims of sexual abuse as minors from speaking about their experiences,” Gillibrand said in a statement. “Survivors deserve the right to tell their stories and hold abusers accountable.”
The senators are hopeful that the legislation can swiftly pass both chambers and head to president’s desk.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Alex Angle and originally published by Alabama Daily News.
Share with others: