Bill to curb sex abuse settlements stalls, likely to return next year

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California school leaders will have to wait until next year — if then — to see any relief from a surge of sexual abuse lawsuits that are costing them fat settlements and rising legal bills and insurance costs.

Lawmakers and others said they are frustrated by the collapse of legislation aimed at relieving a problem vexing school districts, cities and counties across the state. Meanwhile, advocates for victims said the rights of those abused as children by public employees to seek justice must come before fiscal concerns.

Senate Bill 577 by Sen. John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, would have reinstated a statute of limitations on sex abuse claims involving public agencies that lawmakers repealed in 2020. The passage of Assembly Bill 218 has resulted in lawsuits alleging abuse dating back to as far as 1965, public records show.