BAKERSFIELD, CA — An 86-year-old woman is suing the estate of Cesar Chavez, the Cesar Chavez Foundation, and the United Farm Workers Foundation, accusing the late civil rights leader of sexually assaulting her in 1973 and alleging that union leadership covered up his abuse of women for years.
The woman, identified as Jane Doe, filed the complaint in Kern County Superior Court on September 1.
The lawsuit details an assault at the union's compound east of Bakersfield during a spring celebration in 1973. According to the complaint, Chavez pushed alcohol on the woman and danced with her.
She felt uncomfortable and hid in a bathroom before returning to her own house. Chavez then allegedly summoned her to a room inside her house, where the complaint says he pulled her onto a bed and assaulted her.
The lawsuit outlines a second assault three or four years later, in which Chavez allegedly called the woman to his house and "forced her head down to his crotch."
The woman says she actively avoided Chavez after that, interacting with him only at board meetings or when it was unavoidable.
The woman had begun volunteering with the union in the late 1950s after witnessing the poor treatment of farm workers in Northern California. She met Chavez after graduating from college and worked for the United Farm Workers until 1983. In 1970, she moved into the union's compound east of Bakersfield with her husband and children.
The lawsuit claims Chavez's abuse of women was an open secret, accusing union employees of knowing about the abuse and failing to stop it. The complaint goes further, alleging that workers ensured the abuse happened behind closed doors and that union and foundation leaders hid evidence and worked to keep survivors silent and prevent the information from becoming public.
Read the lawsuit below
The woman says the trauma caused decades of depression and emotional distress, as well as suicidal thoughts and alcohol dependency. She remains in ongoing therapy.
She is suing under California Assembly Bill 250, which took effect on Jan. 1 of this year. The law reopens a two-year window for survivors of sexual assault to file claims that previously expired.
Her attorneys say she is coming forward to hold leaders accountable and that seeking justice can give other survivors the courage to speak out.
