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Photo credit: Charles Ommanney, Office of the Governor of California, Public Domain.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation that changes how some childhood sexual abuse lawsuits against public entities will proceed, while adding new prevention and oversight requirements for schools, counties and other government agencies, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Senate Bill 577 comes after years of debate over the financial impact of lawsuits filed under California’s expanded childhood sexual abuse laws. Public entities, including school districts and counties, have faced billions of dollars in claims involving abuse that occurred decades ago.
The new law does not eliminate survivors’ ability to sue, but it raises the evidentiary burden in some older cases and changes how damages may be allocated when public entities are among the defendants.
Higher Evidentiary Standards
Under the new law, some survivors over age 40 bringing claims against public entities for childhood sexual abuse that occurred before 2024 will need to provide stronger evidence that the institution knew or should have known about misconduct that created a risk of abuse and failed to take reasonable steps to prevent it.
Supporters of SB 577 argued that the change is necessary because many decades-old claims involve destroyed or unavailable records, making it difficult for public entities to defend themselves.
Some survivor advocates opposed the higher standard, arguing that people who disclose abuse later in life may already face significant barriers to producing documentary evidence decades after the abuse occurred, CalMatters reports.
No Damage Cap
Cities, counties and school districts had pushed lawmakers to cap damages in childhood sexual abuse cases, but lawmakers ultimately rejected that approach.
SB 577 instead makes narrower changes to liability and evidence rules while preserving survivors’ ability to seek damages.
For lawsuits filed on or after Jan. 1, 2027, a public entity found 15% or less responsible for the harm will generally pay only its proportionate share of economic damages. If the public entity is found more than 15% at fault, broader joint-and-several liability rules may still apply, according to the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (JPIA)
Law Adds New Abuse Prevention Requirements
The legislation also includes provisions aimed at preventing future abuse.
Public agencies will be required to strengthen codes of conduct and sexual abuse prevention plans, while additional oversight will apply to foster care, juvenile detention and other youth-serving systems.
The law also expands mandated reporter training and creates penalties for attorneys who bring childhood sexual abuse claims in bad faith.
Those prevention measures were a major part of the compromise that allowed the bill to move forward after earlier reform efforts stalled.
AB 218 & Older Claims
The new law follows Assembly Bill 218, which California enacted in 2019.
AB 218 expanded the time available for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to file civil claims and temporarily revived certain previously expired cases.
Since then, thousands of lawsuits have been filed against school districts, counties and other public entities. Los Angeles County alone agreed earlier this year to a roughly $4 billion settlement involving thousands of childhood sexual abuse claims tied largely to juvenile detention and foster care facilities.
School districts have also reported hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and rising liability insurance costs tied to older abuse claims.
Newsom Calls SB 577 a First Step
In his signing message, Newsom said the legislation attempts to balance compensation for survivors with the financial stability of public institutions.
He called SB 577 an “important and necessary first step” and urged lawmakers to continue working on the issue.
For survivors, the most important takeaway is that California has not closed the door on childhood sexual abuse claims. But cases involving public entities, especially older claims, may now face additional evidentiary and liability rules that make the specific facts and timing of a claim even more important.
California law gives many survivors options to pursue civil claims, but filing deadlines and evidentiary rules can depend on when the abuse occurred and whether a public institution was involved.
Learn more about California sexual abuse lawsuits, deadlines and legal options.
