California Sexual Abuse Lawsuit: What Survivors Need to Know

Survivors in California can often bring a sexual abuse lawsuit. A civil lawsuit is a private case, separate from any criminal case, in which a survivor seeks compensation from the person responsible and, often, from an institution that failed to protect them. No conviction or police report is required. The filing deadline depends on the survivor's age at the time and the date the abuse occurred.

People usually reach a page like this one quietly. Some are reading about something that happened to them as children; some about an assault in adulthood; some on behalf of a son, daughter or someone else they are responsible for. Many survivors do not connect what happened to them with a legal claim until years later, and California law anticipates that. This resource walks through the whole civil landscape in California: what a lawsuit is, which deadline applies to which dates, who can be named, including schools, religious organizations, youth programs and public entities, what compensation the law allows, how claims are proven, and what the process actually involves. Reading it commits a reader to nothing, and nothing here requires describing what happened.

Three facts frame everything that follows. California Code of Civil Procedure section 340.1 governs childhood sexual assault claims, and its deadline depends on when the abuse occurred. Code of Civil Procedure section 340.16 governs adult sexual assault claims and contains a revival window that remains open until December 31, 2026. And a childhood sexual abuse claim against a local public entity, such as a school district, does not have to go through the usual government claim process before a lawsuit is filed.

Table of contents

• What a California Sexual Abuse Civil Lawsuit Actually Is
• California's Statute of Limitations for Sexual Abuse Lawsuits
• Who Can Be Named as a Defendant: Individuals and Institutions
• What Compensation a Civil Lawsuit Can Include
• How to Prove a Sexual Abuse Civil Claim in California
• The Civil Lawsuit Process: From First Call to Resolution
• Childhood Sexual Abuse Lawsuits: Special Rules and Considerations
• Sexual Abuse by Institutions: Schools, Churches, and Employers
• California Victim Compensation and Support Resources
• Common Questions Survivors Have Before Filing
• Myths and Misconceptions About California Sexual Abuse Lawsuits
• What to Look for When Choosing a California Sexual Abuse Attorney
• Frequently asked questions
• Related topics
• If You Would Like to Talk Through Your Situation, Privately
• Sources

What a California Sexual Abuse Civil Lawsuit Actually Is

A civil lawsuit is a case one person brings against another person or an organization to recover compensation for harm. It is filed by the survivor, controlled by the survivor and their attorney, and heard in the California Superior Court for the relevant county, whether that is Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Sacramento, Fresno, Alameda or any other.

Civil and criminal cases are separate

A criminal case is brought by the state, through a district attorney, to punish a crime. The survivor is a witness in that case, not a party, and does not decide whether charges are filed or how the case ends. A civil case is entirely different. It exists independently of any criminal process, which means:

• A civil claim can be filed when no criminal charges were ever brought, and when no report was ever made to police.
• A civil claim can be filed when the accused person was charged and acquitted.
• A civil claim does not require a conviction, a guilty plea or an arrest.

California's adult statute says this in plain terms. Code of Civil Procedure section 340.16(b)(2) provides that "it is not necessary that a criminal prosecution or other proceeding have been brought as a result of the sexual assault or, if a criminal prosecution or other proceeding was brought, that the prosecution or proceeding resulted in a conviction or adjudication." Many survivors never reported to law enforcement, and the civil system does not treat that as a barrier. The two systems also use different standards of proof, which the evidence section below explains. A fuller comparison is available in our page on civil vs. criminal sexual abuse cases.

What a civil claim is for

A civil claim seeks compensation for harm: the cost of treatment and therapy, lost income, and the emotional injury the law recognizes as real. For many survivors it is also a formal record that what happened was wrong, and a process in which they, rather than a prosecutor, make the decisions. Some survivors want accountability from an institution that looked away. Others want the means to pay for years of care. Those are all legitimate reasons, and none is required.

The legal basis: sexual battery under Civil Code section 1708.5

The core civil wrong against an individual perpetrator is often sexual battery. A "tort" is the legal term for a civil wrong that causes injury, and California Civil Code section 1708.5 defines sexual battery as a tort. In plain terms, it covers acting with intent to cause a harmful or offensive contact with an intimate part of another person (or with another person by use of one's own intimate part), where a sexually offensive contact results. The statute defines "offensive contact" as "contact that offends a reasonable sense of personal dignity," and it also covers nonconsensual condom removal.

Section 1708.5(b) states that a person who commits sexual battery "is liable to that person for damages, including, but not limited to, general damages, special damages, and punitive damages." Section 1708.5(e) adds that these remedies are "in addition to any other rights and remedies provided by law," so a complaint usually includes other claims as well, such as assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence claims against institutions.

Institutions can be defendants too

A lawsuit is not limited to the individual who caused the harm. Schools and school districts, religious organizations, youth-serving organizations, healthcare providers, foster care agencies, residential facilities and employers can be named where their own failures contributed. This is often the center of a California case, and it is covered in detail below.

California's Statute of Limitations for Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

A statute of limitations is the deadline for filing a lawsuit. In California the deadline for a sexual abuse claim depends on two facts: whether the survivor was under 18 or an adult at the time, and the date the abuse occurred. The rules below are the general framework. Deadlines are fact-specific, and a confidential consultation is the only reliable way to know how they apply to a particular set of dates.

Childhood sexual assault: Code of Civil Procedure section 340.1

Section 340.1 now opens with the words "There is no time limit for the commencement of any of the following actions for recovery of damages suffered as a result of childhood sexual assault." That language came from a 2023 bill, AB 452. Its reach is limited by date:

• Abuse that occurred on or after January 1, 2024. There is no time limit, under section 340.1(a) as limited by section 340.1(p).
• Abuse that occurred on or before December 31, 2023. The claim may be brought only under the law as it read on December 31, 2023. That is the regime created by AB 218: the survivor may file until age 40, or within five years of discovering (or when they reasonably should have discovered) that a psychological injury or illness occurring after age 18 was caused by the abuse, whichever is later.

AB 452 did not revive any claim that was already time-barred. A survivor whose abuse occurred in, say, the 1990s is measured by the age-40 and five-year-discovery rules, not by the no-time-limit rule.

Why the deadline begins at adulthood

For childhood abuse, the clock effectively does not run during childhood. The age-40 deadline gives a survivor roughly 22 years after their 18th birthday, and the discovery alternative can extend past age 40.

The discovery rule, in plain terms

The "discovery rule" means a deadline can be measured from when a person discovers, or reasonably should have discovered, the connection between the abuse and the harm it caused, rather than from the date of the abuse. That connection often surfaces years or decades later, sometimes in therapy, sometimes when a symptom finally has a name. The law treats that as a common pattern, not as a delay anyone must justify.

AB 218 and its closed revival window

AB 218, signed in 2019, extended the childhood deadline to age 40 or five years from discovery. It also opened a three-year revival window, from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2022, during which otherwise time-barred childhood claims could be filed. That window has closed. The extended limitations period it created remains the rule for abuse that occurred on or before December 31, 2023.

Adult sexual assault: Code of Civil Procedure section 340.16

For an assault that occurred on or after the survivor's 18th birthday, section 340.16(a) sets the deadline as the later of:

1. Ten years from the date of the last act, attempted act, or assault with intent to commit an act of sexual assault; or
2. Three years from the date the survivor discovers or reasonably should have discovered that an injury or illness resulted from it.

"Sexual assault" is defined by reference to specific Penal Code offenses, including attempts and assault with intent to commit them.

The adult revival window open through December 31, 2026

Section 340.16(b)(3), written by AB 2777 (Stats. 2022, Ch. 442), the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, revives adult claims that would otherwise be barred solely because the deadline expired. It applies to conduct that occurred on or after January 1, 2009, and revived claims "may be commenced until December 31, 2026." The window does not revive two kinds of claims:

• A claim litigated to finality in a court before January 1, 2023.
• A claim resolved by a written settlement agreement entered into before January 1, 2023.

This window is sometimes confused with New York's Adult Survivors Act. That is a New York law whose window closed in 2023; it has no application in California, and its deadline says nothing about a California claim.

A second adult revival window: section 340.16(e)

A separate window in section 340.16(e) runs from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027 for certain otherwise time-barred adult claims. It is narrower in who can be sued: it excludes public entities entirely, whether the claim is direct, derivative or vicarious. Its other conditions are detailed and fact-dependent. The (b)(3) and (e) windows behave differently on the public-entity question and are not interchangeable.

Two older section 340.16 windows, in subdivisions (c) and (d), were tied to specific defendants and closed at the end of 2020 and 2021. They are not available today. Where facts resemble them, the live questions are section 340.1, section 340.16(b)(3) and section 340.16(e).

More on each deadline appears on our California sexual abuse statute of limitations page.

Who Can Be Named as a Defendant: Individuals and Institutions

Every California sexual abuse lawsuit has at least one defendant, the person or organization being sued. In most serious cases there is more than one.

The individual perpetrator

The person who committed the abuse is directly liable, most often under Civil Code section 1708.5 and related tort claims. That liability does not depend on a criminal case, and it continues against an estate if the person has died.

Institutions: the core negligence theories

"Negligence" means failing to use reasonable care when a duty of care exists. Institutions that take responsibility for children or vulnerable adults owe that duty. Section 340.1(a)(2) recognizes this directly, covering actions against "any person or entity who owed a duty of care to the plaintiff, if a wrongful or negligent act by that person or entity was a legal cause of the childhood sexual assault." Section 340.16(b)(2) likewise preserves adult claims "against persons or entities other than the alleged person who committed the crime."

Two theories appear in almost every institutional case:

• Negligent hiring means the institution hired or placed someone it knew, or reasonably should have known, posed a risk to the people in its care.
• Negligent supervision means the institution failed to reasonably oversee an employee or volunteer, or the children or vulnerable adults themselves, in a way that allowed abuse to occur.

Negligent retention, respondeat superior and insurance are covered in the institutional section below.

Mandated reporters and Penal Code section 11166

California requires certain professionals, including teachers, clergy, healthcare workers, social workers, coaches and many others who work with children, to report suspected child abuse. Under Penal Code section 11166(a), a mandated reporter who "knows or reasonably suspects" a child has been abused in their professional capacity must make an initial report by telephone "immediately or as soon as is practicably possible," followed by a written report within 36 hours. "Reasonable suspicion" does not require certainty.

The reporting statute itself is a criminal and regulatory obligation. In a civil case, evidence that staff suspected abuse and did not report it can be relevant to whether the institution breached its duty of care.

The range of institutional defendants

Depending on the facts, California cases are brought against public and private K-12 schools and school districts, colleges, religious organizations and their governing bodies, youth sports leagues and clubs, scouting and other youth-serving organizations, residential care and treatment facilities, foster care agencies, healthcare providers and employers. Whether a particular organization can be named turns on the relationship, what it knew or should have known, and what it did.

Public entities: what is settled

A public entity is a government body: a school district, city, county, public hospital district or the State. The Government Claims Act, which begins at Government Code section 900, generally requires that a claim be presented to a public entity before a lawsuit, often within six months for injury claims. For sexual abuse claims, however, the rules differ sharply by claim type.

Childhood sexual assault claims against a local public entity. The Government Claims Act exempts claims under section 340.1 from the claim-presentation requirement. Section 340.1(q) states such a claim is not required to be presented to any government entity before suit. A local entity, such as a school district, also cannot impose its own claim procedure instead. That exemption has no conduct-date condition: AB 218 removed the earlier one, and the change was made retroactive.

Childhood claims against the State. The local-entity exemption does not govern the State. Claims against the State are presented under separate provisions of the Government Claims Act, which contain no 340.1 exemption. For a state defendant, the exemption comes from section 340.1(q) instead, which reaches conduct on or after January 1, 2024 only. Some defendants, such as certain educational and health institutions, are not obviously one or the other; establishing whether a defendant is a local entity or the State is the first step.

Adult claims against public entities. That exemption covers 340.1 claims only, not 340.16 claims, so the claim-presentation requirement may still apply. Section 340.16(b)(3) contains no public-entity exclusion of its own. Section 340.16(e), as noted above, excludes public entities. Beyond those points, how the 2026 window interacts with public-entity defendants is not settled law, and this article does not answer it either way.

AB 218 and institutional claims

AB 218 was largely about institutions. Its revival window brought older childhood claims against schools, religious organizations and youth organizations back into court, and it removed the government-claim barrier for childhood sexual assault claims against local public entities. It also added the cover-up damages provision discussed in the damages section.

What Compensation a Civil Lawsuit Can Include

"Damages" is the legal word for money awarded to compensate for harm. California civil law allows a survivor to seek several categories.

Economic damages

Economic damages compensate for measurable financial loss, including:

• Past and future medical care.
• Past and future mental health treatment, therapy and counseling.
• Lost earnings, and loss of future earning capacity where the harm affected education or career.
• Other out-of-pocket costs caused by the abuse.

Civil Code section 1708.5(b) calls these "special damages."

Non-economic damages

Non-economic damages, called "general damages" in section 1708.5(b), compensate for harm without a receipt: emotional distress, anxiety, depression, loss of enjoyment of life, harm to relationships, and pain and suffering. These are often the largest part of a sexual abuse claim. The statutory cap on non-economic damages that applies in medical negligence cases does not apply to sexual abuse claims as such; a jury decides the amount based on the evidence.

Punitive damages under Civil Code section 3294

Punitive damages are not compensation; they punish and deter. Under Civil Code section 3294(a), they are available where it is "proven by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant has been guilty of oppression, fraud, or malice." The statute defines "malice" to include "despicable conduct which is carried on by the defendant with a willful and conscious disregard of the rights or safety of others."

Against an employer, section 3294(b) adds conditions. The employer must have had advance knowledge of the employee's unfitness and employed them with conscious disregard of others' safety, or authorized or ratified the conduct, or been personally guilty of oppression, fraud or malice. For a corporation, that knowledge or conduct must belong to an officer, director or managing agent. Punitive damages are generally not available against public entities.

Treble damages for a cover-up

Section 340.1(b)(1) allows a survivor of childhood sexual assault who proves the assault "was as the result of a cover up" to "recover up to treble damages" (up to three times the damages) against a defendant found to have covered it up, "unless prohibited by another law." A "cover up" is "a concerted effort to hide evidence relating to childhood sexual assault." How far this provision reaches against particular kinds of defendants, including public entities, has been litigated, and its current application to a given defendant is a question for counsel.

Civil Code section 52

Civil Code section 52(a) allows up to three times actual damages, with a $4,000 minimum, for violations of certain California civil rights statutes, including section 51.6. It applies only where the facts fit those statutes, and it is pleaded in a minority of cases.

Why there is no meaningful "average settlement"

Survivors often search for an average figure. Any number offered without the facts behind it is not useful for evaluating a particular situation. Outcomes in California turn on the nature and duration of the abuse, its effect on the survivor's life, the number of defendants, whether an institution knew or should have known, available insurance, the strength of the evidence, the county, and whether the case settles or goes to trial. Two cases that sound similar can resolve very differently.

Confidential and public resolutions

Many cases settle on confidential terms. Some institutional settlements, especially involving public entities, become public record. California law limits how far a settlement can require secrecy about the underlying facts in sexual assault cases; the details are on our confidentiality in sexual abuse claims page.

How to Prove a Sexual Abuse Civil Claim in California

Proof in a civil case works differently from proof in a criminal one, and the difference matters to survivors whose abuse happened long ago.

The standard: preponderance of the evidence

A civil plaintiff must prove the claim by a "preponderance of the evidence," which means more likely than not. A criminal prosecutor must prove guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt," the highest standard in law. A civil claim can succeed on evidence that would not support a conviction. (Punitive damages require the higher "clear and convincing" standard noted above.)

Types of evidence used

Evidence in these cases commonly includes:

• The survivor's own testimony.
• Medical and mental health records.
• Prior complaints or reports about the perpetrator, made by anyone.
• Evidence that others were harmed by the same person.
• Letters, messages, emails, photographs and social media records.
• Personnel files, background checks, incident reports and internal investigations.
• Policies and training materials showing what the institution required and what it did.
• Testimony from family, friends, teachers or counselors about changes they noticed.
• Expert testimony.

Much of the institutional evidence is in the institution's own files. It is obtained through the formal discovery process, not from the survivor.

Delayed disclosure is common and understood

Delayed disclosure is one of the most thoroughly studied patterns in this field. Survivors frequently tell no one for years, tell only part, or disclose gradually. In California sexual abuse cases, mental health experts commonly explain these trauma dynamics to jurors, and California's criminal jury instructions address the related concept that delay in reporting does not by itself mean an account is untrue. The civil limitations statutes reflect the same understanding.

Corroboration helps but is not required

A survivor's testimony is evidence. California civil law does not require independent corroboration, and a jury may find a claim proven on testimony it finds credible. Corroboration strengthens a case; its absence does not end one.

Records: helpful to keep, not required to have

Survivors sometimes ask whether they should gather anything. Any existing records, such as messages, journals, school records or names of people they told, can be useful to keep. Not having records does not bar a claim, and no one has to organize anything before a first conversation.

Expert witnesses

Cases commonly involve mental health professionals (on injury, prognosis and delayed disclosure), forensic and medical experts where relevant, economists (on lost earnings and future care costs), and institutional-practice experts who testify about what a reasonable school, church or youth organization should have done.

The Civil Lawsuit Process: From First Call to Resolution

Knowing the stages ahead of time removes some of the uncertainty. Every case differs, but the general sequence in California Superior Court is consistent. The California Courts self-help site explains civil procedure generally.

Stage 1: A confidential consultation

The first conversation is about the claim, not about testing the survivor. An attorney typically needs only a few basics to begin: roughly when it happened, how old the survivor was, and who or what organization was involved. No one needs to describe the abuse itself. A survivor can stop, decline a question or end the call at any point, and the conversation is private.

Stage 2: Investigation and preservation

If a claim appears viable, the attorney investigates: identifying defendants, determining whether any is a public entity, gathering records, locating witnesses and sending preservation letters asking institutions not to destroy evidence. In older childhood cases, this stage also confirms which version of section 340.1 applies.

Stage 3: Filing the complaint

The "complaint" is the document that starts the lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of the appropriate county. Filing fees are set by statute; the current statutory fee schedule is available through courts.ca.gov. In many sexual abuse cases, California courts permit a survivor to file under a pseudonym such as Jane Doe or John Doe, so the survivor's name does not appear in public filings. Some childhood claims involve additional procedural steps before or at filing, which counsel handles.

Stage 4: Discovery

"Discovery" is the exchange of information between the parties. It includes:

• Interrogatories: written questions answered under oath.
• Document requests: demands for records, including the institution's files.
• Depositions: recorded interviews under oath, with attorneys for both sides present.

The survivor will likely be deposed. Their attorney prepares them in advance, attends with them, and can object to improper questions. Courts can issue protective orders limiting how sensitive information is used.

Stage 5: Mediation and settlement

Most civil sexual abuse cases resolve before trial. "Mediation" is a confidential negotiation led by a neutral mediator, often a retired judge, who helps the parties reach an agreement. The survivor decides whether to accept any settlement; it cannot be forced on them.

Stage 6: Trial

If no settlement is reached, the case goes to trial. California guarantees a jury trial in civil cases for damages, and parties can choose a bench trial (decided by a judge) instead.

How long it takes

Civil sexual abuse cases in California often take one to three years from filing to resolution, sometimes longer with many defendants or a crowded court calendar. That is a general range, not a prediction.

How contingency fee agreements work

Many plaintiff attorneys in this area work on a "contingency" basis, meaning the fee is a percentage of any recovery and there is no hourly bill. Business and Professions Code section 6147 requires a contingency agreement to be in writing, signed by both attorney and client, and to state the fee rate, how costs affect the fee and the client's recovery, what other compensation could be owed, and that the fee "is not set by law but is negotiable." Section 6147(b) makes a noncompliant agreement voidable at the client's option. Fee terms vary between firms and are discussed directly at the outset of any engagement.

Childhood Sexual Abuse Lawsuits: Special Rules and Considerations

Childhood sexual abuse claims are the largest category of California sexual abuse litigation, and the rules built around them are among the most developed in the country.

Applying section 340.1 by date

The section 340.1 rules described above sort every childhood claim into one of two groups. For abuse before January 1, 2024, the practical questions are the survivor's current age and, if they are over 40, when they discovered the connection between the abuse and a psychological injury after age 18. For abuse on or after January 1, 2024, there is no filing deadline. Section 340.1(c) defines "childhood sexual assault" by reference to specific Penal Code offenses committed when the plaintiff was under 18, "or any prior laws of this state of similar effect at the time the act was committed," so older conduct is evaluated under the law in force then.

What AB 218 did, and what remains

Before AB 218, many childhood claims against institutions had to be filed by around age 26. AB 218 extended that to age 40 or five years from discovery, opened the 2020 to 2022 revival window for older claims, and removed the government-claim requirement for these claims against local public entities. The window has closed. The longer deadline and the claim-presentation exemption remain.

Why so many claims involve institutions

Childhood abuse frequently happens where an adult had authority and access: a teacher, coach, youth leader, clergy member, foster parent, residential staff member, physician or therapist. The questions become what the organization that placed that adult there knew, what it should have known, and what it did. Common institutional defendants in California include school districts, dioceses and other religious organizations, scouting and youth organizations, youth sports programs, and residential treatment facilities. For abuse in a school setting, see our page on teacher sexual abuse.

Mandated reporting failures in childhood cases

Because so many adults around children are mandated reporters under Penal Code section 11166, childhood cases often examine whether anyone suspected abuse and failed to report it. A failure to act on prior warnings is frequently central to negligent supervision and negligent retention claims.

Disclosure in adulthood

Adults who were abused as children commonly disclose in their thirties, forties or later. Clinicians describe this as normal, and the discovery rule exists for exactly this reason. A survivor reading about this for the first time in mid-life is in a very common position, and the law was written with that person in mind.

Why California is considered favorable to survivors

The Legislature has repeatedly extended childhood deadlines: through earlier revival windows, AB 218 in 2019, and AB 452 in 2023 for abuse from 2024 onward. Each change reflected a legislative judgment that survivors need time and that institutions should answer for preventable abuse. Our childhood sexual abuse page covers this area in more depth.

Sexual Abuse by Institutions: Schools, Churches, and Employers

The institutional claim is often the one survivors do not know exists. Many assume a lawsuit can only target the individual, who may have no assets or may have died. The legal theories below explain why an organization can be responsible in its own right.

Respondeat superior

"Respondeat superior" is Latin for "let the master answer." It makes an employer liable for an employee's acts within the scope of employment. California courts have generally held that sexual misconduct falls outside the scope of employment, so this theory alone often does not reach the institution. That is why the direct negligence theories below carry most institutional cases.

Negligent hiring

Negligent hiring asks whether the institution knew, or should have known, of the person's risk before hiring or placing them. Supporting evidence can include prior complaints at a previous employer, background checks not run or ignored, unexplained gaps or departures, and references never checked.

Negligent supervision

Negligent supervision asks whether the institution reasonably oversaw employees and volunteers in positions of trust over minors or vulnerable adults. Issues commonly include unsupervised one-on-one access, ignored policies, lack of training, and failure to monitor known risks.

Negligent retention

Negligent retention means keeping someone in a position of trust after warning signs emerged, whether complaints, observed boundary violations or reports from staff. A transfer instead of removal can be part of this theory.

Title IX for school-based abuse

Title IX is a federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education programs receiving federal funding. It is a federal claim, not a California claim, with its own standards, and it is often filed alongside state-law claims in school cases.

Workplace assault and FEHA

Where the abuse occurred at work, the Fair Employment and Housing Act, Government Code section 12940, is a separate employment-law framework; a personal injury claim for sexual assault can coexist with it, and workplace harassment claims themselves are outside this site's scope.

Insurance

Schools, religious organizations, youth programs and employers typically carry general liability and professional or abuse-specific liability insurance. Settlements are often paid from those policies, which is one reason institutional defendants matter to the practical value of a claim. Older cases sometimes require locating policies issued decades ago.

Cover-up damages against institutions

The section 340.1(b) treble damages provision, discussed in the damages section, was aimed at institutions that concealed abuse. Its reach against particular defendants has been the subject of litigation, and its current application is fact-specific.

California Victim Compensation and Support Resources

A lawsuit is one option among several, and some of the most immediately useful support in California has nothing to do with court.

California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB)

The California Victim Compensation Board is a state program that can help pay for costs resulting from a crime, such as medical care, mental health counseling and lost income. It does not require a civil lawsuit or a criminal conviction. Eligibility rules, including reporting and timing requirements, are set by the Board and change over time; its site (calvcb.ca.gov) has the current rules and application.

RAINN

RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) and online chat at rainn.org, available 24 hours a day. Calls connect to local rape crisis centers.

CALCASA and local rape crisis centers

The California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (calcasa.org) is a statewide network of rape crisis centers serving communities across California, from San Diego and Los Angeles to the Central Valley, the Bay Area and the far north. Its directory helps survivors find a local center offering confidential counseling and advocacy.

County mental health services

County behavioral health departments, including the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, offer services and referrals in their areas.

Cal OES Victim Services

The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services funds and oversees victim service programs statewide, including rape crisis programs. Its site is reachable at oes.ca.gov.

Effect on a lawsuit

Using these resources does not prevent or waive a civil claim. Counseling is often part of recovery, and records of it may later be relevant to damages, but seeking help never limits a survivor's legal options. If CalVCB pays costs and a civil recovery later covers the same costs, there can be a reimbursement question that counsel can address.