LOS ANGELES, Ca. March 30, 2026: On March 18, 2026, the New York Times published an exposé alleging that labor leader Cesar Chavez sexually abused women including underage daughters of United Farm Workers (UFW) members starting in the 1960s.
Around six months before the Times published its exposé and longtime Chavez and UFW cofounder, Dolores Huerta, publicly accused him of abusing her, a lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles against Huerta’s foundation – the Dolores C. Huerta Foundation.
The lawsuit was first published by Adina Flores on March 20. Flores has been a Sonoma County activist since 2021, focusing on local public policy issues.
According to the lawsuit filed by Ruth Sanchez, she worked for the Foundation from August 19, 2019, until she was fired on July 8, 2024. When she was first hired by the Foundation, she was the only employee in Los Angeles supervising between 20 and 30 volunteers. The lawsuit alleges that sometime in 2020, Sanchez was promoted to Resource Center Manager so that she would continue to work 60 weekly hours without the Foundation paying her overtime. In her new position she became a salaried employee.
Sanchez, in addition to forcing her to work overtime without pay, alleges that the Foundation diverted grant money away from their intended purposes. In one case alleged in the lawsuit, Sanchez alleges that a grant for computers and internet for citizenship and GED classes was diverted. In another case, Sanchez alleges that a grant to pay canvassers was diverted and that Sanchez was ordered to find volunteers for the canvassing project.
Although Sanchez admits that the Foundation paid for her disability, she argues in the lawsuit that after she was fired, the Foundation refused to pay her what she argues is owed to her for overtime and expenses. She also alleges that the Foundation is retaliating against her for exposing their malfeasance.
Huerta’s foundation released a statement last week stating that “it is unfortunate that the employee [Sanchez] chose to file this action [the lawsuit] without first affording the Foundation the opportunity to respond to and possibly resolve the matter.”
The lawsuit is pending before the Los Angeles Superior Court. A jury trial is scheduled for January 2028.
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Cover photograph credit: Dolores Huerta, Hillary Clinton rally, Phoenix, Arizona, March 21, 2016, Gage Skidmore
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