An 86-year-old former United Farm Workers organizer has filed a civil lawsuit alleging that Cesar Chavez raped her in her own marital bed in 1973 while his bodyguard stood watch outside her home. The suit, filed under the pseudonym Jane Doe, accuses the UFW Foundation and the Cesar Chavez Foundation of negligence, sexual harassment and civil rights violations for allegedly enabling and covering up the assault.
The complaint, case number 26CUB03446, was filed on September 1 in Kern County Superior Court, according to Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Team, LLP, the firm representing Jane Doe. Attorneys V. James DeSimone and Mike Arias brought the case on behalf of the woman, who worked for Chavez and the UFW as an organizer decades ago. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, Jane Doe alleges that Chavez plied her with alcohol at a party he arranged, forcibly pulled her head down to his crotch, and later sent her husband away on union business over her 33rd birthday, before the alleged rape occurred at her home.
Jane Doe also said she once hid from Chavez in a bathroom after rebuffing his advances, and alleges that UFW employees ensured the abuse took place in closed quarters away from others' visibility. The lawsuit further claims that union staff knew about Chavez's abuse of women and that the two nonprofits ignored and rebuffed contemporary complaints while working to suppress evidence to protect his public reputation, as outlined by Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Team. Attorney Mike Arias said, per the Los Angeles Times, that Jane Doe left the organization but never lost her fear.
The Alleged Site of the 1973 Assault
The alleged rape took place at Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz in Keene, a 187-acre former tuberculosis sanatorium in Kern County that was bought by a UFW benefactor in 1970, later leased and sold to the UFW, and officially became UFW headquarters in January 1972. According to the National Park Service, the site — commonly called La Paz — was designated a U.S. National Monument in 2012 and now contains 26 historic structures, administrative offices and Chavez's burial site.
The lawsuit is only possible because of California Assembly Bill 250, the Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act, which opened a two-year lookback window from January 1, 2026 through the end of 2027 for adult survivors to file previously time-barred claims against institutions accused of covering up sexual abuse. Per Katz Banks Kumin LLP, the 2025 statute expanded on earlier legislation by explicitly reviving related claims such as wrongful termination or sexual harassment. Jane Doe's attorneys expect more women to come forward with similar claims before the window closes, and they hope the suit will hold the institutions accountable.
A Pattern Described in Other Accounts
The case follows a New York Times investigation published March 18, 2026, that reported an institutional culture punishing dissent and relegating women and girls to second-class status, as well as a broader pattern of abuse enabled by a cult of personality around Chavez. The Times inquiry, initiated by Dartmouth Professor Matthew Garcia, interviewed more than 60 people and reviewed extensive internal union documents, according to NPR.
That reporting included accounts from Debra Rojas and Ana Murguia, who said Chavez groomed and sexually assaulted them starting when they were 12 and 13 years old while living at union facilities as daughters of UFW organizers. NPR also reported that Rojas alleged Chavez raped her in a motel room during a UFW march across California when she was 15. UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta stated, per the New York Times, that Chavez raped her in the early 1960s and again in 1966, and that she gave away two daughters conceived through the alleged rapes.
Fallout Reached the State Holiday and Beyond
California moved quickly after the March investigation. Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2156 on March 26, 2026, renaming the state's March 31 holiday from Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day following unanimous legislative approval, according to CalMatters. California had been the first state to establish Cesar Chavez Day, in 2000, before stripping his name from the holiday this year — action that came before any civil court case had even been filed.
The reevaluation of Chavez's legacy spread beyond California as well. Officials considered possible name changes in Washington, D.C. and Prince George's County, Maryland, for local educational facilities that carry his name, part of a wider reconsideration of streets, parks and public buildings honoring Chavez nationwide.
How the Defendants Have Responded
The UFW Foundation and Cesar Chavez Foundation were sued as Chavez's employers, and the organizations are described as related nonprofits to the United Farm Workers labor union itself. Following the complaint, the Cesar Chavez Foundation said it had just become aware of the filing and was reviewing it with legal counsel, as reported by GV Wire. The UFW labor union declined to comment. The UFW Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment, per the Los Angeles Times.
