It was unclear Thursday afternoon whether the last-minute deal, negotiated days before the legislative session ended Aug. 31, had enough support to reach Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. A spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, did not immediately respond to an inquiry Thursday.
At issue is Assembly Bill 218, a law that lifted the statute of limitations for bringing child sexual abuse lawsuits and allowed a series of costly litigation against schools and public agencies. In some cases, victims have been awarded tens of millions of dollars for sexual assault and abuse that they say took place decades ago at the hands of teachers and other public officials.
Details of the agreement are included in the changes to Senate Bill 577 c0-written by Sen. John Laird, D-Santa Cruz. Under the amended text of the bill, the agreement would raise the legal standards required for people aged 40 or older to sue for sexual assaults that occurred before Jan. 1, 2024, records show. It also calls on schools and other agencies to have sexual assault prevention plans and codes of conduct.
The amendments do not appear to set a limit or cap on jury awards or settlement amounts for child sexual abuse cases in the state. The caps were a major request from public agencies, including schools, counties and obscure agencies called joint energy authorities, which serve as insurance pools for school districts.
Laird, who tried to pass an AB 218 reform bill last year, said in a phone interview Thursday evening that the negotiations that led to the compromise had been difficult. Completely capping settlement amounts “was a bridge too far” for many lawmakers, Laird said.
Troy Flint, a spokesman for the California School Boards Association, said the group was grateful for lawmakers’ efforts but added that it was “highly questionable” whether the agreement did enough to protect school districts from being slammed with seven-figure settlements.
“We are grateful to Speaker Rivas and Pro Tem (Monique) Limón for their efforts to resolve this issue,” Ben Adler, director of public affairs for the California State Association of Counties, said in a statement. “It is clear that the status quo is broken and the unintended consequences have spiraled out of control. »
This story was originally published by EdSource.
