Glendale Sexual Abuse Lawyer: Civil Claims for Survivors in Los Angeles County

Survivors of sexual abuse or assault in Glendale may be able to bring a civil lawsuit for money damages, which is separate from any police report or criminal case. California has extended its deadlines, so a claim may still be open years later. Cases are handled by the Los Angeles County Superior Court, which has a courthouse in Glendale.

Survivors of sexual abuse or assault in Glendale may be able to bring a civil lawsuit for money damages against the person responsible and, in many cases, against an institution that failed to protect them. California has extended its deadlines, so a claim may still be open even if the abuse happened long ago. Justice for Survivors is a California law firm focused on civil sexual abuse claims.

People in Glendale often search for this privately, sometimes years after the fact. Finding out costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Civil cases from Glendale are handled by the Los Angeles County Superior Court, which has a courthouse in the city itself.

Civil Claims for Sexual Abuse Survivors in Glendale

A civil case is a lawsuit a survivor brings to seek compensation. It is separate from any criminal case. California law says a criminal prosecution is not required for an adult assault claim, and that if one was brought, it does not need to have ended in a conviction (Code of Civil Procedure § 340.16(b)(2)).

For Glendale residents, the local branch of the Los Angeles County Superior Court is the Glendale Courthouse, 600 E. Broadway, Glendale, CA 91206.

California's Statutes of Limitations for Sexual Abuse Claims

In California, the deadline for a sexual abuse claim turns on three things: the survivor's age at the time, the date of the abuse, and who the defendant is. A longer overview is in our guide to considering a California civil claim.

Abuse that happened before age 18. Code of Civil Procedure § 340.1 governs childhood sexual assault claims, including claims against a person or entity that owed the child a duty of care.

• For abuse on or after January 1, 2024, there is no time limit to file.
• For abuse on or before December 31, 2023, the law as it stood at the end of 2023 applies: generally, until the survivor's 40th birthday, or within five years of discovering that the abuse caused a psychological injury, whichever is later. That rule came from AB 218 (2019).
• AB 218 also opened a three-year revival window for older claims. That window closed December 31, 2022.

Survivors who file at age 40 or older must also file certificates of merit signed by their attorney and a licensed mental health practitioner (§ 340.1(e) and (f)).

Assault that happened at 18 or older. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 340.16(a), the deadline is generally the later of 10 years from the last act, or three years from when the survivor discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, an injury resulting from it.

AB 2777 (Stats. 2022, Ch. 442) added a revival window in § 340.16(b)(3). It allows an adult assault claim that would otherwise be too late, based on conduct on or after January 1, 2009, to be filed until December 31, 2026. It does not revive a claim litigated to finality, or settled in writing, before January 1, 2023. A separate, later window in the same section runs from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027; that window does not reach claims against public entities.

Because these rules overlap, the analysis is fact-specific.

Who Can Be Held Liable in a Glendale Sexual Abuse Case

The person who committed the abuse can be sued directly. An organization may also be liable when its own failures made the abuse possible, through negligent hiring, negligent supervision or negligent retention. These claims arise against schools, churches, youth organizations, healthcare facilities and employers. Section 340.1 expressly allows claims against a person or entity whose negligent or intentional act was a legal cause of childhood abuse.

Under Government Code § 815.2, a public entity is generally liable for injuries caused by an employee acting within the scope of employment, where the employee would be liable. In Glendale, that can include a local public school district; our page on public school abuse claims covers this in more depth, and county probation abuse claims covers juvenile halls and camps.

Many claims against public entities must first be presented to the entity as a written government claim before suit, and those deadlines are shorter than ordinary limitations periods. Government Code § 910 lists what such a claim must contain. There is an important exception: a childhood sexual abuse claim under § 340.1 against a local public entity does not need to be presented first, and a local entity cannot substitute its own procedure. For a defendant that is part of the State, the rule is narrower and depends on when the abuse occurred. For adult assault claims against a public entity, the presentation requirement may still apply.

This page does not suggest that any particular Glendale institution has been involved in abuse.

What Damages Are Available to Survivors

• Economic damages cover measurable financial loss: past and future medical care, therapy and mental health treatment, and lost earnings or reduced ability to earn.
• Non-economic damages address emotional distress, pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Punitive damages may be added under Civil Code § 3294 when it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant acted with oppression, fraud or malice. Against an employer, punitive damages based on an employee's acts generally require proof that the employer knew of the employee's unfitness and acted in conscious disregard of others' safety, or authorized or ratified the conduct.
• Cover-up damages. In a childhood sexual assault case, a survivor who proves the abuse resulted from a cover up may recover up to treble (three times) damages against a defendant found to have covered it up (§ 340.1(b)). The statute defines a cover up as a concerted effort to hide evidence relating to childhood sexual assault.

No outcome can be predicted from a description like this one.

Filing a Civil Claim in Los Angeles County: What the Process Looks Like

Depending on how the court assigns a case, it may be heard at the Glendale Courthouse or at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Our Los Angeles sexual abuse lawyer page describes the county court more broadly.

The general stages are:

1. A first conversation, where a survivor asks whether a claim may exist.
2. Case evaluation, covering the dates, the possible defendants and which deadline applies.
3. Filing the complaint, the document that starts the lawsuit.
4. Service of process, formally delivering the complaint to each defendant.
5. Discovery, the exchange of documents and testimony.
6. Resolution, most often through settlement, though trial remains an option.

Code of Civil Procedure § 367.3 allows a participant in California's address confidentiality program to proceed as John Doe, Jane Doe or Doe and to redact identifying details from filings. Outside that program, courts can permit survivors to use a pseudonym in appropriate cases, but it is a request the court decides, not an automatic right.

Contingency arrangements are common in civil sexual abuse cases: no upfront legal fees, and the attorney is paid a share of any recovery. Terms vary, and a contingency arrangement does not mean every case is accepted.

Support Resources for Glendale and Los Angeles County Survivors

None of the resources below requires a police report or a lawsuit.

• Peace Over Violence runs a 24-hour hotline at 213-626-3393 and serves Los Angeles County, including Glendale.
• RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or online chat at online.rainn.org.
• California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB), at victims.ca.gov, may help crime victims with costs such as counseling, medical care and lost wages, separate from any civil case.
• Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, at dmh.lacounty.gov, offers trauma-informed services to county residents.

Serving Glendale and the Surrounding Communities

Justice for Survivors works with survivors in Glendale and throughout Los Angeles County, including Burbank, Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, Eagle Rock, Atwater Village, Silver Lake, Los Feliz and Sunland-Tujunga. Survivors who have since moved away can still ask about a claim arising here.

The firm does not handle criminal defense or immigration matters. Survivors elsewhere in the region may find our Long Beach sexual abuse lawyer page useful.

If You'd Like to Talk Through Your Glendale Case, Privately

If you were sexually abused or assaulted, you may have the right to pursue a civil claim, against the person responsible and possibly against an institution that failed to protect you. A survivor may be able to seek compensation for emotional harm, therapy and medical costs, lost income and other damages the law allows, along with the justice a claim can seek. Because California has revived and extended deadlines, options may exist even when the abuse happened many years ago.

A confidential case review for someone in Glendale covers which deadline likely applies, who could be a defendant and whether a public-entity rule is involved. It is free and private, carries no obligation, and nothing needs to be organized first. You do not have to describe what happened in order to ask.

To ask what this means for your situation in Glendale, California, call Justice for Survivors at (866) 694-1630 for a confidential case review.