Filing window status
California's AB 218 three-year revival window ran from 2020 through 2022, and this diocese is now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, where survivor claims are resolved through a court-supervised compensation process with its own filing deadlines. California law separately allows childhood sexual assault claims until age 40 or within five years of connecting the harm to the abuse, and has no deadline for abuse occurring on or after January 1, 2024. Because a bankruptcy bar date can control, a free, confidential review can confirm your deadline.
Deadlines are state-specific and change often. Even if you think a window has passed, it is worth confirming — exceptions can apply. A free, confidential review can tell you where you stand.
The record
Key Facts
Fact 01
250+ AB 218 abuse lawsuits
Source: Diocese of Sacramento
Fact 02
Chapter 11 filed April 1, 2024
Source: Diocese of Sacramento / NCR
Fact 03
Claims reach back to the 1950s
Source: Diocese of Sacramento
Fact 04
Resolution proceeding through court-supervised mediation
Source: Diocese of Sacramento Chapter 11 docket
What is documented
The Allegations
The full account
The Record
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento announced on April 1, 2024 that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to resolve more than 250 sexual abuse lawsuits filed under California's three-year lookback window created by Assembly Bill 218.
The claims allege abuse of minors by clergy and other employees reaching back to the 1950s. Bishop Jaime Soto described the bankruptcy as the path most likely to provide compensation to survivors, saying the likely cost of the lawsuits far outstripped the funds the diocese had available to litigate or settle them.
The case has focused on validating AB 218 claims, monetizing diocesan real estate and mediating a global resolution — the process by which most Catholic dioceses in bankruptcy have compensated survivors through a court-approved trust.
Sources & attribution