Survivors are finally being heard in the state of California.

Thousands of lawsuits have been filed across the state since California opened a civil “look-back window” in 2020. That window part of Assembly Bill 218 gave survivors of childhood sexual abuse a second chance to pursue justice, no matter how long ago the abuse happened.

Now that window has closed, but the lawsuits haven’t stopped and the ripple effects are shaking schools, counties, and institutions across the state. What’s being framed as a budget crisis is actually something deeper: a long-overdue reckoning with decades of silence and systemic failure.

A Law That Gave Survivors a Voice Could Backslide Some Rights

California’s AB 218 did something powerful:

• It lifted the civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse permanently.
• It opened a three-year window (2020–2023) for survivors of any age to sue, even if their claims were previously time-barred.
• And most importantly, it told survivors: “We believe you. And we won’t let time silence you.”

The result? Thousands of survivors came forward, many for the first time in their lives.

And yes, the cost is high. But that cost doesn’t belong to the survivors. It belongs to the institutions that failed to protect them, covered up the abuse, and now want to shift blame instead of taking responsibility.

Now the legislature is trying to back peddle justice a bit by introducing a new bill,  SB 577. This isn’t a rollback, but it is a recalibration and is a slippery slope. Survivors didn’t ask for the system to wait until they were adults to process the trauma. And now we’re asking them to prove gross negligence if they’re 40? It shortens the discovery window from 5 to 3 years. Thus shortening the time-frame survivors can seek justice. It’s all being done to protect the bottom line of institutions that need to be held accountable for the harm they have caused.

That’s not trauma-informed justice, that’s institutional protectionism

What’s Really Happening in California Right Now

• More than 3,000 lawsuits have been filed against schools and public agencies.
• Some districts, like Los Angeles County, face billions in potential payouts tied to abuse in juvenile facilities.
• Other districts with no abuse claims at all are seeing their insurance costs skyrocket, causing panic and talk of layoffs.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t a survivor problem. It’s a system problem.

Institutions are feeling the pressure not because survivors are finally speaking up, but because those institutions never planned for accountability. And now that it’s here, they’re scrambling.

The Real Stakes for Survivors

Behind every lawsuit is a person.
A child who wasn’t protected.
Teen who was silenced.
An adult who’s spent decades carrying shame, guilt, and trauma that was never theirs to carry.

Many of the survivors we work with were told, directly or indirectly, that nothing could be done. That it happened too long ago. That they should move on.

That’s why laws like AB 218 matter. Because for so many survivors, the civil justice system is the only path to truth, healing, and recognition. Criminal statutes often expire. Police investigations stall. But civil litigation gives survivors a chance to hold the powerful accountable on their terms.

How Andreozzi + Foote Can Help

Our firm has walked beside survivors from California to Pennsylvania and beyond. We know how complex these cases are, legally, emotionally, and financially. And we approach each case with a trauma-informed lens, because that’s what survivors deserve.

Here’s how we support you:

• We’ll evaluate whether you still have a valid claim, even after the window.
• We’ll identify all liable parties, not just individuals, but institutions that enabled or ignored abuse.
• We’ll walk with you through every step of the process, from initial consultation to courtroom advocacy.
• We’ll make sure your story drives the case, not the institution’s excuses.

What You Can Do Now

• If you were abused in California and haven’t come forward, talk to us.
  You may still have legal options under the permanent change to the statute of limitations.
• If you’re a survivor worried about retraumatization, we hear you.
  You can share your story safely, confidentially, and without pressure.
• If you’re someone who cares, don’t let the headlines fool you.
  What’s happening in California isn’t about lawsuits draining schools. It’s about survivors finally finding their voice.

Justice Cannot Be Negotiable

We can’t call ourselves a just society if we only protect children when it’s convenient.
We can’t keep asking survivors to wait for accountability while institutions beg for grace.

California survivors are not the burden.
They are the truth-tellers. The whistleblowers. The reason things might finally change. By rolling back some of the hard fought wins to protect the very institutions that harmed them, is systematic revictimization.

We cannot allow this to happen, please fight. If you live in California, call your legislator and tell them to vote NO SB 577. Tell them to remember the real victims here.

Call us today to speak with a trauma-informed sexual abuse attorney. 1-866-753-5458