Bill > S1884

This bill, titled the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2025, aims to clarify and strengthen the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016 by ensuring that claims for art stolen by Nazis during World War II can be pursued and resolved based on their merits, rather than being dismissed due to technical legal defenses. Specifically, it prevents courts from using defenses related to the passage of time, such as "laches" (unreasonable delay in bringing a claim), "adverse possession," "acquisitive prescription," or "usucapion" (legal doctrines that allow ownership to be gained through long-term possession), to block these claims. It also prohibits the use of other non-merits defenses, like the "act of state doctrine" (which generally prevents courts from questioning the validity of foreign government actions), "international comity" (respect for foreign legal systems), "forum non conveniens" (dismissing a case because another court is more appropriate), or "prudential exhaustion" (requiring plaintiffs to exhaust other remedies before suing), from being used to dismiss these cases. The bill clarifies that these claims are intended to allow for the recovery of art lost due to Nazi persecution, regardless of the victim's nationality, and overrides the "domestic takings" rule that previously limited such claims. Furthermore, it establishes nationwide service of process for these actions and makes these changes applicable to claims already in court or filed on or after the bill's enactment.