Former volunteer sues César Chavez nonprofits over failing to stop union leader from sexual abuse

One of the organizers who said she was sexually abused by Latino labor leader César Chavez decades ago has sued nonprofits tied to him.

The complaint filed last week in Southern California is the first legal action since the explosive allegations surrounding Chavez were first reported by the New York Times in March. The newspaper also first reported the complaint in Kern County Superior Court on Wednesday.

Filed on behalf of a Jane Doe, it names the César Chavez Foundation and the United Farm Workers Foundation as defendants. Both organizations are accused of failing to investigate complaints over the years about Chavez. They are being sued for several violations including negligent supervision, negligent infliction of emotional distress and sexual harassment. The woman was moved to go to civil court after learning more about the scope of Chavez’s alleged abuse of girls and women, including labor figure Dolores Huerta.

The Associated Press 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 says he expects to hear from other abuse survivors.

The woman, now in her 80s, first met Chavez when she moved to California’s Central Valley after graduating college, according to the suit. Inspired by a previous summer volunteering there, she wanted to join in organizing farm workers. In 1973, she and her family were among several workers who moved into the compound in Keene that was 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 to her home and raped her in a bedroom. A few years later, she said 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 for past and future earnings as well as punitive damages.

The César Chavez Foundation, in a statement, said 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 back 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 continued to be the face of workers’ rights until his death in 1993. In the wake of the sexual abuse revelations, Chavez’s 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 to rename schools, streets and other places that honored him.

DeSimone, a workers’ rights attorney who once admired Chavez, said they are not looking to stop these nonprofits from carrying out their missions. But, they said, survivors are owed accountability and a sense of closure.

No matter how noble, “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.”