The AB 2777 Revival Window Closes December 31, 2026 — What Adult Survivors of Sexual Abuse Need to Know Now
If you are an adult survivor of sexual abuse that occurred when you were 18 or older, California law has opened a rare second chance to seek justice — but that window is closing. According to RAINN, more than 90% of sexual assault survivors never report their abuse to law enforcement, and many spend years or decades before feeling ready to pursue a civil claim. AB 2777 was passed precisely for survivors like you. It revived the right to sue for adult sexual abuse that previously would have been time-barred — but only until December 31, 2026. If you have a claim, the time to act is now.
Key Takeaways
- AB 2777 (codified as CCP §340.16) created a revival window for adult survivors of sexual abuse — regardless of when the abuse occurred — but it expires December 31, 2026.
- Employers, institutions, churches, schools, and other organizations can be held liable if they enabled, covered up, or failed to prevent the abuse through negligent hiring, supervision, or retention.
- Survivors should begin documenting evidence now: medical or therapy records, communications, witness names, employment records, and any prior complaints made to the institution.
- Compass Law Group, LLP has recovered $250M+ for survivors across California — consultations are free, completely confidential, and survivors may remain anonymous. There is no fee unless we win.
What Is the AB 2777 Revival Window and Why Was It Created?
For decades, California’s civil statute of limitations prevented many adult survivors of sexual abuse from seeking justice. By the time survivors felt emotionally ready to pursue a lawsuit — or even acknowledge the abuse — their legal window had already closed. Trauma research confirms that survivors often require years before they can confront their experiences in a legal setting, and many do not connect their psychological symptoms to the abuse until much later in life.
AB 2777, signed into law in 2022 and codified as California Code of Civil Procedure §340.16, directly addressed this injustice. It created a two-year revival window — running from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2026 — during which adult survivors of sexual abuse can file civil claims that would otherwise be time-barred. This applies to survivors who were 18 years of age or older at the time the abuse occurred and whose claims had previously expired under the old statute of limitations.
The law was modeled in part on the success of AB 218, which in 2019 eliminated the statute of limitations entirely for childhood sexual abuse (abuse occurring before age 18) under CCP §340.1. Legislators recognized that adult survivors deserved a similar opportunity — even if the window is limited in time. Understanding which law applies to your situation is one of the most important reasons to speak with a California sexual abuse lawyer before December 31, 2026.
Who Qualifies for the AB 2777 Revival Window?
Not every survivor’s situation is the same, and understanding whether you qualify under AB 2777 requires a careful review of the facts. Generally, the revival window under CCP §340.16 applies to adult survivors — those who were 18 or older at the time the sexual abuse occurred — whose civil claims were previously barred because the old statute of limitations had already expired. There is no requirement that you previously filed a police report, and there is no requirement that a criminal case was ever brought.
It is important to distinguish AB 2777 from AB 218. If you were sexually abused as a child — before your 18th birthday — AB 218 (CCP §340.1) already eliminated your statute of limitations entirely. Childhood survivors do not face any deadline to file. The AB 2777 revival window specifically addresses the gap for survivors who were adults when the abuse happened. If you are uncertain which law applies to your circumstances, a Los Angeles sexual abuse lawyer at Compass Law Group can evaluate your case in a free and completely confidential consultation.
Additionally, claims against government entities — including public schools, county agencies, or city-run programs — are subject to the Government Claims Act. This requires survivors to file a government tort claim notice within 6 months of the date of injury or discovery. If you believe a government entity may be responsible, it is especially urgent to contact an attorney now to protect your right to pursue a claim before the revival window closes.
Who Can Be Held Liable Under California Sexual Abuse Law?
Many survivors assume that only the individual abuser can be sued. In reality, California law allows survivors to hold institutions and employers accountable when they created the conditions that made the abuse possible, failed to act on warning signs, or actively concealed prior complaints. This concept — institutional liability — is often where the most significant accountability and financial recovery occurs.
Liable parties in adult sexual abuse cases may include:
- The individual abuser — directly responsible for the assault, battery, or ongoing abuse
- Employers and corporations — liable under the doctrine of respondeat superior if the abuse occurred in the scope of employment, or under negligent hiring and retention theories
- Hospitals and healthcare institutions — when a physician, nurse, therapist, or staff member abused a patient and administrators knew or should have known
- Religious organizations and churches — where clergy abuse was enabled or concealed by leadership, including dioceses and affiliated entities
- Universities and colleges — including faculty-student abuse, coach abuse, or Title IX failures that allowed ongoing harassment or assault
- Hotels, rideshare companies, and hospitality businesses — when their employees committed abuse and the employer failed to conduct proper background checks or respond to prior complaints
- Government agencies — including probation departments, social services, or law enforcement agencies, subject to the Government Claims Act notice requirement
Compass Law Group’s attorneys have extensive experience litigating both individual and institutional defendants. Whether the abuser was a coworker, a therapist, a supervisor, or a faith leader, our team investigates every layer of accountability on your behalf. Survivors in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and throughout California have relied on our firm to pursue the full scope of liability the law allows.
What Damages Can Survivors Recover in California?
California law recognizes that sexual abuse causes harm that extends far beyond the immediate trauma. Survivors are entitled to pursue comprehensive compensation for the full scope of their injuries — physical, psychological, financial, and beyond. Under California law, damages in adult sexual abuse civil cases may include:
- Past and future therapy and counseling costs — including EMDR, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and other evidence-based treatments
- Medical expenses — including emergency treatment, medication, and any physical injuries caused by the abuse
- Lost wages and diminished earning capacity — where the trauma interfered with the survivor’s ability to work, advance in their career, or maintain employment
- Pain and suffering — compensation for the emotional, psychological, and physical pain endured as a result of the abuse
- Emotional distress damages — available under California Civil Code §52.4, which provides a specific cause of action for gender violence including sexual abuse
- Punitive damages — available when an institution engaged in malicious conduct, fraud, or oppression, such as covering up known abuse, falsifying records, or silencing prior victims
Punitive damages can be particularly significant in cases involving institutional defendants who actively concealed a perpetrator’s history. When a corporation or religious organization knew about repeated abuse and chose to protect itself rather than survivors, California courts may award punitive damages well beyond the compensatory amount. The California statute of limitations for sexual assault cases varies depending on the type of claim, but under the AB 2777 revival window, time-barred cases that previously seemed hopeless can now move forward.
California Sexual Abuse Statistics: Understanding the Scope of the Crisis
The AB 2777 revival window exists because sexual abuse is not a rare or isolated problem — it is a public health crisis that affects hundreds of thousands of Californians. Understanding the scale of the issue helps explain why the Legislature acted to extend legal access to justice for survivors.
1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men in the United States have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime, according to RAINN. In California, a state of 39 million people, those numbers translate to millions of affected residents.
More than 80% of sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows — a coworker, employer, partner, therapist, or person in a position of authority — according to the CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. This is precisely why institutional accountability is such a critical part of California’s abuse law framework.
Only 1 in 3 sexual assaults are ever reported to law enforcement, per RAINN data, and of those, fewer than 1% result in incarceration. Civil litigation under AB 2777 offers survivors a separate and often more accessible path to accountability and compensation — outside the criminal justice system entirely.
Fewer than 5% of civil sexual abuse cases reach trial; the vast majority are resolved through confidential settlements that provide survivors with financial compensation and, often, institutional reforms. For survivors in Sacramento, Long Beach, and across California, a civil claim may be the only meaningful form of justice available.
How Compass Law Group Helps AB 2777 Survivors
Compass Law Group, LLP was founded to serve survivors. Our attorneys — Joseph Shirazi (Bar #265403) and Simon Esfandi (Bar #275307) — have spent their careers litigating complex sexual abuse cases against individuals, corporations, religious institutions, and government entities across California. With more than $250 million recovered for clients, we bring the resources, experience, and compassion that survivors deserve when facing powerful defendants and their legal teams.
We understand that stepping forward is one of the hardest decisions a survivor can make. That is why every consultation with our firm is completely free, entirely confidential, and carries no obligation. You do not need to use your full name to speak with us. We operate on a strict no win, no fee basis — meaning you owe us nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Our offices in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland, and Bell Gardens ensure that survivors throughout California have access to our team without long travel or delay.
If you are an adult survivor whose abuse occurred when you were 18 or older and you have been told your case is too old to pursue, please contact us before making that assumption. The AB 2777 revival window was created specifically for cases like yours. Our California sexual abuse attorneys will review your situation, explain which statutes apply, and help you understand your options — at no cost and with complete confidentiality. Time is the only thing working against you right now.
Q: What is the AB 2777 revival window and when does it expire?
AB 2777, codified as CCP §340.16, is a California law that created a temporary revival window allowing adult survivors of sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits even if their original statute of limitations had already expired. The window opened January 1, 2023 and closes permanently on December 31, 2026. After that date, adult survivors whose claims were previously time-barred will lose the right to file under this provision. There are no extensions and no exceptions — the deadline is firm under current law.
Q: Does AB 2777 apply to me if I was abused by my employer or a coworker?
Yes. AB 2777 (CCP §340.16) applies to adult survivors of sexual abuse regardless of the relationship between the survivor and the abuser. Workplace abuse — including assault by a supervisor, manager, employer, or coworker — is fully covered. California law also allows survivors to hold the employer liable under theories of negligent hiring, negligent retention, or respondeat superior if the abuse occurred in the scope of employment or the employer had prior notice of the perpetrator’s behavior and failed to act.
Q: Can I sue an institution like a hospital or church under the AB 2777 revival window?
Yes. The AB 2777 revival window under CCP §340.16 extends to institutional defendants, including hospitals, healthcare organizations, religious institutions, corporations, hotels, universities, and other employers. If a staff member, clergy member, therapist, or employee committed sexual abuse and the institution knew or should have known about the risk — or actively concealed prior incidents — the institution itself can be held liable. Punitive damages may also be available under California Civil Code §52.4 for egregious institutional cover-ups.
Q: What is the difference between AB 218 and AB 2777?
AB 218 (CCP §340.1) applies to survivors of childhood sexual abuse — abuse that occurred before the survivor’s 18th birthday. It permanently eliminated the statute of limitations for those claims, meaning childhood survivors can sue at any time, at any age. AB 2777 (CCP §340.16) applies to survivors who were adults — 18 or older — at the time of the abuse. It created a temporary revival window that expires December 31, 2026. If you are unsure which law applies to your situation, speaking with a California sexual abuse attorney is the clearest way to find out.
Q: What happens if a government agency was involved in my abuse — does AB 2777 still apply?
Government entities present an additional layer of complexity. While AB 2777’s revival window does apply to claims against government defendants, the California Government Claims Act requires survivors to file a formal tort claim notice with the responsible agency within 6 months of the date of injury or discovery. Failure to comply with this notice requirement can bar the entire claim regardless of the AB 2777 window. If a public school, county agency, sheriff’s department, or other government body was involved in your abuse, contact Compass Law Group immediately to ensure the Government Claims Act deadline does not pass before the revival window closes.
References
- California Code of Civil Procedure §340.1 (AB 218) — Sexual Abuse Statute of Limitations
- California Code of Civil Procedure §340.16 (AB 2777) — Adult Sexual Abuse Revival Window
- RAINN — Sexual Violence Statistics
Source: Compass Law Group | AB 2777 Revival Window
Steps to Take After Using the AB 2777 Revival Window
Taking action can feel overwhelming, but every step you take now strengthens your case and protects your rights before the December 31, 2026 deadline.
- Contact a California sexual abuse attorney immediately. The AB 2777 revival window closes permanently on December 31, 2026. An attorney needs time to investigate, gather evidence, and file before the deadline — do not wait until the final weeks. Compass Law Group offers free, confidential consultations and survivors may remain anonymous.
- Preserve all documentation you currently have. Collect any medical records, therapy notes, text messages, emails, employment records, or photographs that relate to the abuse or its aftermath. Even records that seem unrelated — such as a journal entry or a message to a trusted friend — can be powerful evidence.
- Write down your account while memory is fresh. Create a private, detailed written narrative of what happened, including dates, locations, names of anyone who witnessed concerning behavior, and any complaints you made to supervisors or administrators. This document is protected by attorney-client privilege once you retain counsel.
- Identify potential witnesses. Think about coworkers, fellow students, family members, or friends who may have observed warning signs, heard you describe the abuse at the time, or witnessed the abuser’s behavior toward others. Witness testimony can corroborate your account significantly.
- Do not contact the abuser or the institution on your own. Once you decide to pursue a claim, all communications with the defendant or their employer should go through your attorney. Direct contact can create complications that harm your case and may expose you to retaliation.
- Request relevant employment or institutional records now. Background check records, HR complaint files, disciplinary records, and institutional communications may be subject to preservation requests or subpoenas — but only after you have legal representation in place.
- File before December 31, 2026. This is a firm statutory deadline. There are no extensions. If the revival window closes and your claim has not been filed, you permanently lose the right to pursue civil justice for adult sexual abuse under CCP §340.16. An experienced Sacramento sexual abuse lawyer or attorney in your region can help ensure nothing is missed.
