AB 250 is a California law that added a new revival window to Code of Civil Procedure section 340.16 for some adult sexual assault claims. It runs from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2027, is aimed at claims against private organizations, and excludes public entities. A separate window for otherwise expired claims stays open until December 31, 2026.
Many people who look up AB 250 are survivors of an assault that happened years ago, as adults, who have heard that the law changed and want to know whether a claim they assumed was too late can still be filed. That is a common situation: many survivors do not connect what happened to them with a legal claim until long afterward, and California's civil deadlines were rewritten with that in mind. AB 250 does not erase every deadline. It works alongside California's existing rules and does not replace them.
This article explains the civil side only: lawsuits for money damages against the person who caused the harm and, in some cases, against an organization that employed or supervised that person.
What AB 250 Does, and Why California Passed It
"AB" stands for Assembly Bill. AB 250 amended the Code of Civil Procedure, the body of California law that sets the rules and deadlines for civil lawsuits. It did so by adding a further revival provision to section 340.16. A revival provision lets some survivors file a civil lawsuit even after the ordinary deadline has passed.
A statute of limitations is the legal deadline for filing a lawsuit. Once it passes, a court will generally dismiss the case, however serious the underlying harm.
For years, those deadlines were short compared with how long it often takes a survivor to recognize harm or feel able to act. The California Legislature has responded over time with longer deadlines, discovery-based deadlines, and revival windows that temporarily reopened expired claims. AB 250 is part of that pattern.
The text and status of AB 250 can be read at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, by searching for the bill number.
How California's Civil Statute of Limitations for Sexual Assault Works
Code of Civil Procedure section 340.16 sets the baseline. It applies where the assault occurred on or after the survivor's 18th birthday. The statute says the time to file "shall be the later of the following":
"(1) Within 10 years from the date of the last act, attempted act, or assault with the intent to commit an act, of sexual assault against the plaintiff. (2) Within three years from the date the plaintiff discovers or reasonably should have discovered that an injury or illness resulted from an act, attempted act, or assault with the intent to commit an act, of sexual assault against the plaintiff."
In plain terms, a survivor generally has ten years from the last assault. The second clause is a version of the discovery rule: the clock can start when the survivor learns, or reasonably should have learned, that an injury came from the assault. Whichever of the two dates falls later controls.
A civil case is brought by the survivor and seeks money damages; a criminal case is brought by the state. Section 340.16 says plainly that no criminal prosecution is required, and that if one was brought, it does not need to have ended in a conviction. The differences are set out in our guide to civil and criminal sexual abuse cases.
General court information is available from the California Courts website.
Who AB 250 Covers, and What Types of Claims It Applies To
Section 340.16 defines "sexual assault" by reference to specific Penal Code crimes: sections 243.4 (sexual battery), 261, 264.1, 286, 287 and 289, former sections 262 and 288a, plus assault with intent to commit any of those crimes and attempts to commit them.
Who can be named. A claim may be brought against the individual who committed the assault. The statute also says it does not limit claims "against persons or entities other than the alleged person who committed the crime." Two legal ideas usually come into play when an organization is named:
- Respondeat superior: the rule that an employer can be legally responsible for harm caused by an employee acting within the scope of the job. Courts often treat sexual misconduct as outside the scope of employment, so this theory does not always fit.
- Negligent hiring, supervision or retention: the organization's own failure, such as not screening, not supervising, or keeping someone on after it knew or should have known of a risk.
General workplace harassment claims fall under different employment laws and are outside this article.
Adult versus childhood claims. Abuse that happened before age 18 falls under Code of Civil Procedure section 340.1, with its own rules:
- For childhood sexual assault occurring on or after January 1, 2024, section 340.1 states there is "no time limit" to file, against the person who committed it or against a person or entity whose negligent or intentional act was a legal cause of it.
- For abuse occurring on or before December 31, 2023, the earlier rule still governs: generally, until the survivor's 40th birthday, or five years from discovery, whichever is later.
- Section 340.1 also allows up to treble damages against a defendant found to have covered up the abuse of a minor, defining a "cover up" as "a concerted effort to hide evidence relating to childhood sexual assault."
- A survivor who is 40 or older when the case is filed must have certificates of merit filed by their attorney and by a licensed mental health practitioner.
The age at the time of the abuse decides which framework applies. Claims involving public entities carry additional rules, covered in our guide to school sexual abuse claims.