The Cesar Chavez scandal could “snowball” into the new #MeToo movement, with dozens of new lawsuits targeting the late union leader flooding the legal system.
“You saw thousands of people file when #MeToo started,” said Los Angeles attorney Neama Rahmani, who has represented dozens of victims in sexual abuse cases.
“They usually abuse more than one person. It could be a Cosby, Weinstein, or Alexander Brothers type of situation,” Rahmani said.
The lawyer predicts we will see more victims come forward.
“You’re looking at a big snowball effect”, he said.
Because Chavez passed away in 1993, the entity most likely to be targeted is the United Farm Workers Union.
“You can’t prosecute a dead person. Victims will most likely go after the union,” Rahmani said.
A California law, AB 250, has created a two-year window ending at the end of 2027 that allows adult victims of sexual abuse to file lawsuits that aren’t time-barred.
“In other words, the statute of limitations does not apply,” Rahmani emphasized.
Although the law doesn’t apply to public entities, a union such as the UFW “isn’t necessarily a public entity,” according to Rahmani.
The key to going after the UFW, proving a union leader knew of Chavez’s deviant behavior.
“The case would likely rise or fall based on proof that union officials knew of misconduct, failed to protect people, or covered up warning signs,” according to attorney Royal Oakes, who reported on the #MeToo movement.
“The key question is not only what he allegedly did but who knew and who ignored it. As in so many other scandals, the huge deal can be the cover-up,” he said.
A bombshell New York Times investigation published Wednesday said that Chavez raped and sexually assaulted two girls who were as young as 12, as well as abusing other women, including his United Farm Workers co-founder, Dolores Huerta.
Chavez co-founded the United Farm Workers in the 1960s and was credited with improving conditions for farm laborers.
The UFW called the claims against Chavez “crushing” and “indefensible.”
“As a women-led organization that exists to empower communities, the allegations about abusive behavior by Cesar Chavez go against everything that we stand for,” the UFW Foundation said in a statement.
As far as suing Chavez’s estate, that’s a much tougher road, according to Oakes.
“California generally imposes a strict one-year deadline for claims against a descendant’s liability, and Chavez died back in 1993,” he said.
