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130 Penn Statim 1 (2025-2026)

handle is hein.journals/statim130 and id is 1 raw text is: PENN STATE LAW REVIEW PENN STATIM Beyond the Statute's Bounds: The Case Against Private Equitable Relief Under Civil RICO Matthew Gawley* ABSTRACT This paper argues that civil plaintiffs do not have access to private equitable reliefunder the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Different from money damages, private equitable relief is when a private party asks a court to change another party's behavior: either to make them do something or stop them from doing something. Over the past two decades, a federal circuit split has emerged over whether RICO's civil remedies section (§ 1964)-already a potent tool for plaintiffs- permits individuals to seek both monetary and equitable remedies. Aligning with those circuits that find against private equitable relief, this paper lays out three arguments: (1) statutory interpretation of RICO forbids private equitable relief, (2) Court precedent bars extratextual remedies when Congress intended otherwise, and (3) limits on federal equity powers prevent reading private equitable relief into civil RICO. Table of Contents I.INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................2 II.STATUTORY INTERPRETATION COMPELS THE EXCLUSION OF PRIVATE EQUITABLE RELIEF ....................................................................................4 A. The Text of Section 1964 Clearly Denies Private Equitable R em edies ..................................................................................... . 4 B. The Text of the Liberal Construction Clause Does Not Permit Private Equitable R elief ............................................................. . 5 C. RICO's Legislative History Reveals Congress' Intent to Exclude Private Equitable Relief......................................................6 *Matthew Gawley works in the Law Department of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, as a Mangano-Prudenti Fellow. He earned his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 2025, where he was a member of the Fordham Environmental Law Review and the Moot Court Editorial Board. He holds a B.A. in History and English from Colby College. 1 Vol. 130:1