Bankruptcy
May 14, 2025
Justice for survivors, bankruptcy for schools?
California's well-intentioned AB 218 opened the door for long-overdue justice for survivors of childhood sexual assault, but its sweeping elimination of time limits on claims has left public schools and local governments vulnerable to massive liabilities, threatening their financial stability and essential services.
David I. Levine
Professor
UC Law San Francisco
Professor Levine is author, coauthor, or coeditor of over sixty editions of his seven books, including Remedies: Public and Private and California Civil Procedure, as well as the author of articles on civil procedure, torts and institutional reform litigation. He has served as the Reporter for the District of Nevada's Committee on the Implementation of the Civil Justice Reform Act, and as a research analyst for the Northern District of California's Early Neutral Evaluation Program; he is an Advisor for the American Law Institute's Restatement (Third) of the Law of Torts: Remedies.
The $4 billion settlement Los Angeles County recently agreed to pay involving approximately 6,800 claims of sexual assault in county juvenile and foster facilities garnered headlines as one of the largest government legal settlements in U.S. history. Credible claims of horrendous abuse from years ago begged to be addressed. However, in opening the door to these settlements, the California Legislature has made local governments across the state, including public schools, vulne...
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