New Accuser Sues Foundations With Ties to Cesar Chavez

A longtime volunteer with the United Farm Workers claims in a new lawsuit that Cesar Chavez, the civil rights leader, raped her one night in the 1970s at the union’s headquarters in central California.

The woman’s suit, filed last week in state court in California, accuses nonprofit groups affiliated with the Chavez family and the U.F.W. of negligence, sexual harassment and violations of state civil rights laws. It appears to be the first such suit of its kind since an investigation by The New York Times published in March found compelling evidence that Mr. Chavez had sexually abused, assaulted and harassed underage girls and adult women as he built the most influential farmworkers union in the United States.

The suit illustrates the legal and financial risks faced by groups with ties to Mr. Chavez in the aftermath of the revelations, particularly as California has in recent years extended the statute of limitations for victims of sexual assault to file civil lawsuits to include assaults that occurred decades ago.

California allows victims to sue not only perpetrators but also institutions that knew or should have known about abuse. Other women, some of whom have made their accusations against Mr. Chavez public, say they are also considering legal action.

The Cesar Chavez Foundation, one of the nonprofits that was named in the lawsuit, said in a statement that it had only recently become aware of it. “We are reviewing with our legal counsel and will respond in a way that stays true to our mission and values,” the statement said.

The other nonprofit that was sued, the U.F.W. Foundation, which is a separate organization from the farmworkers union itself, did not respond to requests for comment. A spokeswoman for the U.F.W. declined to comment.