By Joseph Shirazi, Managing Partner, Compass Law Group · CA Bar #265403
Published June 19, 2026 at 9:00 AM PT · Updated May 6, 2026

What Is California’s AB 218 Statute of Limitations for Sexual Abuse — and Does It Apply to You?

California has taken one of the most decisive stands in the nation for sexual abuse survivors. According to RAINN, only 23% of sexual assault victims under age 12 ever report the abuse to law enforcement — meaning the vast majority of survivors carried their trauma silently for years, often decades, before ever having the chance to speak. AB 218, signed into law in 2019 and codified as California Code of Civil Procedure §340.1, permanently eliminated the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse. Whether your abuse happened five years ago or forty, California law now says it is never too late to pursue justice.

What Is AB 218 and Why Did California Eliminate Its Sexual Abuse Statute of Limitations?

Before AB 218 became law, California survivors of childhood sexual abuse were bound by strict — and often impossibly short — statutes of limitations. Prior law required survivors to file by age 26 or within three years of discovering a psychological injury caused by the abuse. For many survivors, this window closed before they had begun to understand what happened to them, let alone summoned the strength to confront it. Sexual trauma operates on its own timeline: dissociation, shame, institutional silencing, and the imbalance of power between victims and their abusers routinely suppress disclosure for years or decades.

Source: Compass Law Group | AB 218 Statute of Limitations

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AB 218, signed by Governor Newsom in October 2019, amended CCP §340.1 to abolish the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse entirely and as a permanent matter of law. No survivor of childhood sexual abuse in California is now time-barred from filing a civil claim. AB 218 also included a three-year lookback window (2020–2022) that revived previously expired claims and produced billions of dollars in institutional settlements for California survivors. For a broader understanding of how California’s civil deadlines operate across injury types, our guide to the statute of limitations for personal injury claims in California offers additional context — but note that CCP §340.1 is a categorical exception to general personal injury time limits, not subject to those rules.

“The elimination of the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse is a recognition that trauma doesn’t follow a legal calendar,” says Joseph Shirazi, Managing Partner of Compass Law Group, LLP. “A survivor who is 55 years old today and was abused when they were 8 has exactly the same right to file a civil claim as someone abused last year. That is the permanent promise of AB 218 — and our firm is here to make good on it.” For survivors navigating whether and how to file, connecting with a California sexual abuse lawyer who understands both the law and the emotional weight of this decision is the critical first step.

Should You File Under AB 218 or AB 2777 — and What Is the Difference?

AB 218 governs survivors who were under 18 at the time of the abuse. There is no filing deadline. But California also enacted AB 2777, codified as CCP §340.16, to create a separate revival window for survivors who were 18 or older when the abuse occurred — including those who experienced workplace sexual abuse, assault in care facilities, or abuse by a trusted professional. This AB 2777 window closes permanently on December 31, 2026. Adult survivors who do not file before that date will almost certainly lose their ability to revive otherwise time-barred claims. For a detailed look at how these laws intersect with criminal case timelines, our article on the California statute of limitations for sexual assault explores those distinctions.

A critical exception applies when the defendant is a government entity — a public school district, state agency, county juvenile facility, or other public organization. Even under AB 218, the Government Claims Act requires survivors to file a formal government tort claim notice within six months of discovering the abuse and its connection to their injuries. Missing this government notice deadline can permanently extinguish a claim against a public defendant, regardless of AB 218’s protections. If your abuse involved any publicly funded institution, contact an attorney immediately — this six-month clock may already be running.

Who Can Be Held Liable for Sexual Abuse in California Under AB 218?

Among the most consequential features of AB 218 is its applicability to institutional defendants. The most widespread sexual abuse scandals in California history — in the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts of America, public school systems, and youth sports organizations — were enabled not only by individual abusers but by institutions that ignored warning signs, failed to screen employees, suppressed reports, and shielded perpetrators to protect their reputations. California law allows survivors to pursue civil claims against both the abuser and every institution whose negligence made the abuse possible.

Three primary theories of institutional liability apply in California AB 218 cases. Respondeat superior holds an employer vicariously liable for an employee’s abuse when it occurred within the scope of employment or through a relationship of trust created by the employer. Negligent hiring applies when an institution failed to conduct reasonable background checks or ignored red flags in a candidate’s history. Negligent supervision and negligent retention apply when an institution failed to monitor an employee’s conduct or kept a known or suspected abuser in a position with access to children or vulnerable adults. These theories are powerful precisely because they open claims against defendants — dioceses, school districts, national organizations — that have the financial resources to provide meaningful compensation.

Institutions and parties that have been held liable under California’s AB 218 framework include:

• Public and private schools and school districts — K-12 schools, colleges, and universities that employed, retained, or failed to report abusive teachers, coaches, counselors, or administrators
• Churches and religious organizations — Catholic dioceses, evangelical denominations, and other faith institutions with documented histories of relocating clergy abusers rather than reporting them; California clergy sexual abuse lawyers have pursued successful claims across denominations
• Youth organizations — the Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, YMCA, CYO (Catholic Youth Organization), 4-H clubs, and organized youth sports leagues have all faced institutional liability in California courts
• Foster care agencies and group homes — both state-contracted and privately operated facilities where caregivers abused children placed in their custody
• Employers and corporations — companies where supervisors or coworkers committed workplace sexual abuse and the employer failed to investigate, discipline, or remove the abuser despite knowledge or constructive notice; a California workplace sexual abuse lawyer can evaluate these claims
• Medical, dental, and mental health providers — hospitals, clinics, and private practices where healthcare professionals abused the patient relationship to commit assault or exploitation
• Government entities — public agencies protected by the Government Claims Act’s six-month notice requirement but still subject to full liability under AB 218 once proper notice is filed

When multiple defendants share responsibility — for example, an abusive youth sports coach and the school district that hired him without performing adequate background checks — AB 218 survivors may pursue all liable parties in the same lawsuit. Our Los Angeles sexual abuse lawyer team handles complex multi-defendant cases involving both individual and institutional liability on a daily basis.

What Compensation Can Sexual Abuse Survivors Recover Under California Law?

A civil lawsuit under AB 218 serves two fundamental purposes: holding abusers and institutions publicly accountable, and obtaining tangible financial resources to support a survivor’s healing. California law permits a comprehensive range of damages in sexual abuse cases, and in cases where institutions actively concealed misconduct, the damages available can be substantial.

Compensatory damages — designed to address the actual harm a survivor suffered — may include:

• Past and future therapy, counseling, and mental health treatment costs, including specialized trauma therapy, EMDR, inpatient or intensive outpatient programs, and long-term maintenance care
• Medical expenses directly caused by or related to the abuse, from emergency treatment to ongoing physical health conditions linked to trauma
• Lost wages and diminished earning capacity where the psychological impact of abuse has interfered with the survivor’s ability to maintain employment, pursue education, or advance professionally
• Pain and suffering — a significant component of California sexual abuse verdicts, reflecting the severity, duration, and lasting impact of psychological and emotional harm
• Emotional distress damages, which are independently recoverable in California and frequently represent one of the largest elements of a survivor’s total recovery

Beyond compensatory damages, California’s Civil Code §52.4 provides for treble damages (up to three times actual damages) and attorney’s fees in gender violence cases — a powerful additional remedy when the abuse involved sexual assault. Punitive damages are available in cases where institutional defendants acted with malice, oppression, or fraud, such as when a religious organization deliberately concealed a predatory priest’s conduct or a youth organization shredded internal abuse complaint records to protect its brand. These punitive awards, which can be far larger than compensatory damages, serve both to compensate the survivor and to deter future institutional misconduct.

Attorneys at Compass Law Group serving clients in San Francisco, Beverly Hills, and across California conduct a thorough damages assessment at the outset of every case — ensuring that every category of loss, past and future, is fully documented and pursued.

California Sexual Abuse Statistics: Understanding the Scale of the Crisis

The statistics surrounding sexual abuse in California reveal a crisis of enormous scope — and make clear why AB 218’s permanent elimination of the statute of limitations was not merely a legal reform, but a moral one. These numbers also help survivors understand that they are far from alone, and that the legal system has evolved to reflect the reality of how trauma actually operates.

1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys in the United States experience sexual abuse or assault during their lifetime, according to the CDC’s child sexual abuse fast facts — making it one of the most common forms of violent crime affecting minors and one of the most systematically underaddressed.

Sexual abuse is dramatically underreported to authorities. According to RAINN, only 23% of sexual assault victims under age 12 reported their abuse to law enforcement at the time it occurred. For older child victims, reporting rates remain similarly low. This means the criminal justice system captures only a fraction of abuse cases — and civil litigation under AB 218 is often the only legal mechanism through which survivors can ever achieve accountability.

The institutional scale of abuse in organized settings is staggering. The Boy Scouts of America’s national bankruptcy settlement — driven significantly by California claimants — produced a $2.46 billion compensation fund, one of the largest institutional sexual abuse settlements in American legal history. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reported that dioceses have paid over $4 billion in clergy sexual abuse settlements nationally since the 1980s, with California among the hardest-hit states.

93% of child sexual abuse victims know their abuser, per RAINN — meaning the vast majority of abuse occurs in settings of institutional trust: schools, churches, youth organizations, and supervised programs. This is precisely why institutional accountability under AB 218, rather than prosecution of isolated individuals, is the cornerstone of California’s legal response to the epidemic.

How Does Compass Law Group Help California Sexual Abuse Survivors Navigate AB 218 Claims?

Compass Law Group, LLP was built on a singular commitment: California sexual abuse survivors deserve experienced, compassionate attorneys who will fight without reservation against even the largest institutional defendants. With more than $250 million recovered for clients across the state, Managing Partner Joseph Shirazi (Bar #265403) and attorney Simon Esfandi (Bar #275307) bring the depth of legal knowledge and personal dedication that AB 218 cases demand. Both attorneys handle sexual abuse matters directly — survivors are not passed off to paralegals or junior staff.

The firm maintains offices in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Oakland — positioning our attorneys to serve survivors throughout California with knowledge of local courts, regional institutional defendants, and jurisdiction-specific procedural requirements. Our Sacramento team, for example, regularly handles matters involving Northern California school districts and government agencies subject to the Government Claims Act’s six-month notice deadline.

Every intake consultation at Compass Law Group is free, completely confidential, and structured to prioritize the survivor’s safety and comfort. Clients may remain anonymous throughout the initial process. Our firm operates on a strict No Win No Fee basis — survivors owe nothing unless and until we obtain a recovery on their behalf. From California child sexual abuse cases involving youth organizations like the Boy Scouts, YMCA, CYO, and Girl Scouts, to California clergy sexual abuse claims against churches and religious institutions, to California youth sports sexual abuse cases and 4-H program claims — Compass Law Group has the experience, resources, and determination to take on institutional defendants of any size. If you are an adult survivor considering a claim under AB 2777, do not wait: the December 31, 2026 window closes permanently, and our team is ready to evaluate your case today.

References

1. California Code of Civil Procedure §340.1 (AB 218) — Sexual Abuse Statute of Limitations
2. RAINN — Sexual Violence Statistics
3. California Code of Civil Procedure §340.16 (AB 2777) — Adult Survivor Revival Window

Joseph Shirazi
Managing Partner, Compass Law Group, LLP
California Bar #265403
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is unique.

Source: Compass Law Group | AB 218 Statute of Limitations

Steps to Take After Filing Under AB 218

1. Consult an experienced California sexual abuse attorney before taking any other action. Even with AB 218’s unlimited time window for childhood abuse claims, government-entity defendants still trigger a six-month Government Claims Act notice requirement, and adult survivors under AB 2777 face a hard December 31, 2026 deadline. A California sexual abuse attorney will evaluate your specific deadline risk, identify every potentially liable party, and ensure no procedural opportunity is lost from the very first step.
2. Preserve and secure every piece of available evidence. Gather and safeguard medical records, therapy notes, personal journals, text messages, emails, photographs, or any other documentation that relates to the abuse or to your relationship with the abuser or the institution. Courts value contemporaneous records — your attorney can obtain institutional records, personnel files, and prior complaints through the formal discovery process.
3. Build a comprehensive, ongoing record of your damages. Keep receipts and records for every therapy appointment, medical visit, prescription, and out-of-pocket expense causally connected to the abuse. Document in writing how trauma has affected your work performance, career trajectory, personal relationships, and quality of daily life — these records form the factual foundation of your damages case and directly affect the compensation you can recover.
4. Restrict social media activity and avoid any contact with the defendant or their representatives. Statements made publicly on social platforms or shared with anyone connected to the opposing party can be obtained and used against you in litigation. Your attorney will establish clear communication guidelines and advise you on what is safe to discuss and with whom during every phase of the case.
5. Instruct your attorney to investigate the full chain of institutional responsibility. Most AB 218 cases extend well beyond the individual abuser. Your legal team will investigate whether the institution hired, retained, or supervised the abuser negligently — examining personnel files, prior incident reports, complaint logs, and internal policies — to hold every responsible party financially accountable, not just the individual who caused direct harm.
6. File a government tort claim notice immediately if a public entity is involved. If the abuse occurred in a public school, state-licensed facility, county juvenile program, or any publicly funded institution, your attorney must file a formal Government Claims Act notice with the appropriate agency within six months of your date of discovery. Failure to file this notice bars recovery against a government defendant even though AB 218 otherwise eliminates the statute of limitations — making early attorney involvement critical.
7. Allow your legal team to manage all aspects of the litigation so you can focus on healing. Compass Law Group handles investigation, discovery, expert witnesses, depositions, settlement negotiations, and trial preparation so survivors are not forced to navigate the legal system alone. For a complete overview of how our firm can assist across our areas of practice, our team is available for a confidential consultation at any stage of your decision-making process.

Source: Compass Law Group | AB 218 Statute of Limitations

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