Top Takeaways California lawmakers are working on solutions to curb childhood sexual abuse lawsuit payouts, spurred by a law that lifted the statute of limitations. Proposed reforms are similar to those that failed last year, with no quick progress. Lawmakers face opposition from the plaintiff’s attorney, John Manley, who vows to fight on. With the legislative clock ticking, California lawmakers are working on possible solutions to curb payouts from childhood sexual abuse lawsuits that local officials say are crippling schools and other public agencies.But rather than proposing sweeping changes, some of the proposals being discussed are similar to those that failed last year, documents obtained by EdSource and interviews show. Assembly bill 218 Sponsored by now former Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, Assembly Bill 218 was passed in 2019 and became law on Jan. 1, 2020. It expanded the statute of limitations for filing lawsuits in California over childhood sexual abuse, allowing people to sue up to their 40th birthday or five years after discovering the abuse, whichever is later. It also created a three-year window during which expired claims could be revived from 2020 to 2023. Two people familiar with efforts to reform Assembly Bill 218, the 2020 law that lifted the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse cases, opening the floodgates of litigation against agencies, said the work to find legislative fixes is not moving quickly.While the Legislature has until late summer to propose reforms, the fate of AB 218 is unclear. Reform discussions reflect the tension surrounding the bill…
