The explosive sex abuse allegations against farm labor leader Cesar Chavez could deliver not just a reputational blow to the union he founded, but a financial one as well.<\/p>\n
Several lawyers said United Farm Workers could potentially be liable for significant payouts due to landmark laws recently passed in California that give victims of older sex abuse cases a new window to come forward.<\/p>\n
John Manly, a prominent sex abuse attorney, said \u201cliability could be automatic\u201d for the storied labor union that Chavez ran for decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey aren\u2019t contesting it happened,\u201d said Manly, who served as a lead attorney in the settlements against USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar<\/a> and USC gynecologist George Tyndall<\/a>. \u201cIt is a matter of who knew what and when.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the last five years, California has dramatically expanded the circumstances under which victims can sue over older cases of sex abuse.<\/p>\n This January, a two-year window went into effect<\/a> for adult survivors of sexual assault. The law is intended for cases in which institutions concealed the abuse and \u201cengaged in a cover up.\u201d<\/p>\n Lawmakers also passed AB 218<\/a> in 2019, which, among other changes, allowed victims of childhood sexual assault to sue within five years of discovering a psychological injury stemming from their abuse. <\/p>\n The law has opened the floodgates for thousands of lawsuits against the Catholic Church, local governments and public school districts. L.A. County recently agreed to settlements<\/a> that will pay nearly $5 billion dollars to more than 11,000 victims who said they were sexually abused in juvenile halls and foster homes. School districts have spent nearly<\/a> a half-billion to settle sex abuse claims.<\/p>\n Sex abuse attorneys warn that the United Farm Workers, which was co-founded by Chavez, could be the next entity to see a litigation wave, depending on how many victims come forward.<\/p>\n The New York Times investigation<\/a>, published Wednesday, detailed allegations that Chavez, a towering figure in the farm labor movement, had sexually assaulted two underage girls in the 1970s and fellow labor leader Dolores Huerta in the 1960s. The investigation left unanswered questions about what the union\u2019s membership knew at the time, noting some leaders had been aware \u201cfor years about various allegations of sexual misconduct\u201d by Chavez.<\/p>\n The UFW called the allegations<\/a> \u201cprofoundly shocking\u201d in a statement.<\/p>\n