- Gibson Martucci
- 916-319-3104
- gibson.martucci@asm.ca.gov
(SACRAMENTO, CA) — The California State Assembly passed AB 250 this week, authored by Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters). AB 250, a bill affirming California’s commitment to supporting survivors by expanding sexual assault survivors’ access to justice, moves to the California State Senate for consideration.
“Every 68 seconds someone in our country experiences sexual assault,” said Majority Leader AguiarCurry. “This bill makes sure survivors aren’t silenced by cover-ups or arbitrary deadlines. If someone was assaulted or harassed by their employer or the employer hid the abuse, they deserve a path to justice.”
AB 250 strengthens protections for adult survivors of sexual assault by holding both perpetrators and private entities legally accountable for covering up, or attempting to cover up, sexual violence. The bill reopens the statute of limitations through December 31, 2027, giving survivors additional time to bring forward valid claims that may have been barred due to confusion over prior law. It also revives lapsed civil claims for sexual assault and related harms, such as wrongful termination and sexual harassment, when tied to the underlying assault and a private entity’s effort to conceal it. The bill builds on the framework of AB 2777 (Wicks, 2022) and reflects lessons from past efforts to ensure survivors' access to the courts is clear and enforceable.
This bill is co-sponsored by the California Employment Lawyers Association and Equal Rights Advocates, and supported by organizations including the American Association of University WomenCalifornia, ValorUS, and the Victims Policy Institute. Co-sponsors had this to say about AB 250:
“Survivors may take years to come forward due to trauma, stigma, fear of retaliation, or other complex factors. AB 250 gives survivors a new two-year window to revive claims, even if the statute of limitations has expired,” said Mariko Yoshihara, legislative counsel and policy director with the California Employment Lawyers Association. “When sexual violence happens at work, employees can feel threatened and unsafe—and often have to keep working in a place that endangers their mental and physical health. AB 250 gives employees not just the time to seek justice against their abuser, it holds accountable those seeking to cover up the sexual assault.”
“This is a moment of reckoning for perpetrators of sexual assault and those who seek to cover it up,” said Jessica Ramey Stender, policy director and deputy legal director at Equal Rights Advocates. “It can take years to fully process the trauma of sexual assault and come forward, and AB 250 will ensure our laws reflect this reality and empower survivors to hold their abusers and the entities that enable them accountable.”
The need to expose the systemic assault and harassment of women has risen since the #MeToo movement in 2017. Holding perpetrators accountable delivers justice to survivors and acts as a deterrent, sending a clear message that toxic workplace cultures and institutions may no longer ignore sexual violence. Aguiar-Curry concludes, “AB 250 represents an important step in addressing sexual violence in California. The culture of secrecy is ending. Sexual predators and the institutions that protect you, we’re coming for you.”