California Is Giving Sexual Assault Survivors Another Opportunity to Be Heard: What AB 250 Means for Survivors

By Madison Henry, Trial Attorney, Gomez Trial Attorneys

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the hardest things about representing survivors of sexual assault is hearing how long some have carried what happened before they ever felt able to talk about it. There is no standard timeline for trauma. Some survivors come forward quickly while others spend years processing what happened, fearing retaliation, worrying they will not be believed, or trying to move on by trying to forget what happened to them.

The legal deadlines have not always accounted for these delays. Fortunately, a new California law is helping to change that. In October 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 250, known as the Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act. AB 250 creates a new look-back window that reopens the doors of justice for many adult survivors of sexual assault in California.

When the legislation was signed, Assembly Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry explained that AB 250 gives survivors who may have been silenced by intimidation, shame or institutional cover-ups another opportunity to seek justice. She further stated: "This law makes sure sexual predators and the institutions that protect them won't continue to escape accountability and won't be allowed to harm others because they've escaped responsibility."

AB 250 took effect January 1, 2026, and creates a new two-year window for adult survivors of sexual assault to pursue civil claims that previously may have been barred because the statute of limitations had expired.

Specifically, AB 250:

• Creates a new revival window from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2027, for adult survivors of sexual assault whose claims were previously barred under the statute of limitations
• Allows lawsuits against individual perpetrators as well as businesses, employers, and institutions that enabled the abuse or participated in the cover-up of the abuse
• Excludes claims against public entities including government agencies and school districts.

The civil justice system cannot undo what happened. But it can offer survivors a path forward — a place to be heard, to have their experience acknowledged, and to hold individuals and institutions accountable, on their own terms and in their own time.

If you experienced sexual assault as an adult and believed too much time had passed to pursue a civil case, it may be worth a second look. Speaking with an attorney who handles sexual abuse cases can help you understand whether AB 250 applies to you and your experience.

Madison Henry is a trial attorney with Gomez Trial Attorneys in San Diego, where her practice focuses on representing survivors of sexual abuse.

SOURCE Gomez Trial Attorneys