Former volunteer sues César Chavez nonprofits, alleging they failed to stop labor leader’s sexual abuse
The lawsuit, filed last week in Southern California, is the first legal action stemming from the explosive allegations against Latino labor leader César Chavez that were first reported by The New York Times in March. The newspaper also first reported the complaint, filed in Kern County Superior Court, on Wednesday.
Filed on behalf of a woman identified only as Jane Doe, the complaint names the César Chavez Foundation and the United Farm Workers Foundation as defendants. Both organizations are accused of failing to investigate complaints about Chavez over the years. The suit alleges negligent supervision, negligent infliction of emotional distress and sexual harassment.
The woman decided to pursue a civil case after learning more about the scope of Chavez’s alleged abuse of girls and women, including labor figure Dolores Huerta, according to the complaint. The Associated Press generally does not name victims or survivors of sexual assault and abuse unless they come forward publicly.
“This has been a long time coming for her to take this step,” V. James DeSimone, one of the attorneys representing her pro bono, told the AP. “She’s committed to the process and is grateful she can legally do something about this all these years later. She suffered a lot over the years. It continues to cause her stress and anxiety.”
DeSimone said he expects to hear from other abuse survivors.
The woman, now in her 80s, first met Chavez after graduating college and moving to California’s Central Valley, according to the suit. Inspired by a summer volunteering there, she wanted to join the effort to organize farm workers. In 1973, she and her family were among several workers who moved into the compound in Keene that housed the offices of the organization now known as the United Farm Workers.
She says Chavez tried to ply her with alcohol and dance with her at a party that year. He later followed her home and raped her in a bedroom, she alleges. A few years later, she says, Chavez assaulted her again.
The woman believes the United Farm Workers Foundation and the César Chavez Foundation in previous years “made concerted efforts to hide evidence of sexual harassment and sexual assaults of girls and women by UFW members and leaders, including César Chavez.” Women in the movement were “verbally attacked” by Chavez’s top lieutenants and accused of trying to ruin the movement if they spoke up about him or their safety, according to the suit.
She is asking for a jury trial and damages including past and future earnings, as well as punitive damages.
The César Chavez Foundation said in a statement that it only recently became aware of the complaint. “We are reviewing with our legal counsel and will respond in a way that stays true to our mission and values.”
When claims about Chavez’s behavior first came to light, the foundation called them shocking and painful. The organization also vowed to stand by the victims and achieve “restorative justice.”
“To the survivors: we believe you. We honor your courage, and we are very sorry for the harm you have carried in the shadows for so long,” the foundation said in March.
The UFW Foundation did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The United Farm Workers union, which is not named in the complaint and operates separately, declined to comment.
Chavez remained the face of workers’ rights until his death in 1993. In the wake of the sexual abuse revelations, his storied legacy was dismantled practically overnight. César Chavez Day celebrations planned around his March 31 birthday were immediately canceled or postponed. State and local governments began renaming schools, streets and other places that honored him.
The lawsuit now adds a new chapter to that reckoning, testing whether nonprofits built to preserve Chavez’s legacy should be held accountable for what they knew—or should have known—about allegations against him. DeSimone, a workers’ rights attorney who once admired Chavez, said the goal is not to stop the organizations from carrying out their missions. But, he said, survivors are owed accountability and a sense of closure.
No matter how noble the cause, “no cause, no organization, should be above the law,” DeSimone said. “Sexual abuse and assault are not the price you should have to pay for it.”
For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com.