An 86-year-old woman has filed a new lawsuit accusing the late Cesar Chavez of raping her at a United Farm Workers compound in 1973.
The plaintiff, who now lives in San Bernardino County, filed suit against nonprofit groups affiliated with the Chavez family and the UFW, alleging negligence, sexual harassment and violations of state civil rights laws. She claims the assault took place at the union’s compound in Keene near Bakersfield, where she had been living with her family at Chavez’s headquarters, Nuestra Senora Reina de La Paz. According to the complaint, Chavez gave her alcohol and danced with her during a celebration at the compound.
“Inside the room, Chavez pulled Plaintiff onto the bed and raped her,” the suit says.
The woman told the court she felt uncomfortable during the celebration and went to the restroom to hide. After returning home, Chavez allegedly “summoned Plaintiff to a room within her house.” The lawsuit further alleges that around three to four years later, Chavez called her to his house and “forced Plaintiff’s head down to his crotch.”
The complaint claims that employees and people within the United Farm Workers knew about the abuse but made sure that Chavez’s activities were always shielded from public view. The woman said she has endured long-term consequences, including depression, alcoholism, weight gain and “diminished sexual relations” with her spouse. She has demanded present and future damages, including for lost earnings and appropriate statutory damages.
The lawsuit arrives months after the outlet investigation revealed extensive allegations of sexual abuse against the labor leader. That reporting prompted multiple streets, schools and other institutions in California named after Chavez to be renamed or face renaming. State lawmakers also moved to eliminate Cesar Chavez Day.
The UFW said back in March that “the allegations about abusive behavior by Cesar Chavez go against everything that we stand for.” The defendants declined to comment about the most recent lawsuit.
The new filing adds to a growing list of damning charges. Chavez is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in a separate case. Debra Rojas, another accuser, said she was first assaulted by Chavez at 12 years old and later raped by him at 15. Even Dolores Huerta, Chavez’s closest ally and longtime activist, alleged he sexually assaulted her, a claim she had never previously made public.
The wave of revelations has forced communities across California and beyond to reconsider how they honor the man long celebrated as a civil rights icon. Detroit Latinos have also confronted Chavez’s legacy in the wake of the assault claims.