The U.S. Congress has passed an extension of the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act, a 2016 law designed to help heirs of Holocaust victims recover looted art. The new legislation aims to limit the ability of museums and other current holders to use time-based legal defenses, such as statutes of limitations, to block restitution claims, thereby pushing more cases to be decided on their factual merits.
This legislative shift matters because it reopens a long-running battle between claimants and institutions, potentially altering the legal landscape for numerous high-profile restitution cases. By also targeting the doctrine of sovereign immunity, the law could allow more lawsuits against foreign state-owned museums, unsettling previous settlements and drawing concern from governments like Germany and France. The change is seen as a significant move to rebalance a system that heirs and advocates argue has historically favored current owners over justice for historical theft.